Snowblind
by Crookshanks.x
Summary: Harry had asked her to meet him and his girlfriend to get to know her better, but there had been no warning that any member of the Malfoy family would be tagging along. Quite frankly, it made Hermione want to jump up and sprint down Diagon Alley.
1. Part 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters. This shouldn't surprise anyone, but I thought I would mention it anyway.

**Snowblind**

_I think we're snowblind_

_we've had a hard time and we can't see where we are_

_Part 1_

She slipped out the door from Flourish & Blotts carrying a new—but rather unnecessary—purchase. The afternoon rush had hit Diagon Alley while she perused the bookstore and she narrowly missed getting run over by a sinister looking wizard as she stepped onto the street. Looking for the café where she had agreed to meet Harry, she navigated through the crowds with slight difficulty. Everyone seemed to be heading in the opposite direction as her and she found herself trying to avoid running down children and knocking people's bags out of their hands. It took much longer than usual to get to the small café right across from Gambol & Japes and when she finally spotted their multicoloured umbrellas, she breathed a sigh of massive relief. If the café was as crowded as the street, someone would suffer. Most likely Harry, since he was the sole reason she was here in the first place.

By what seemed to be a small miracle, a table in the corner had just been vacated and she pushed herself between tables, muttering excuses as she passed. Putting down her bags, she took a seat in the comfortable shade. It was mid-August and while the heat-wave had passed a week earlier, it was still a bit too warm for comfort. She leaned back, running both hands through her curls, wondering how on earth Harry had talked her into this.

She sighed, propping her elbow up on the table and rested her head against her hand. Who was she kidding? He had talked her into this because he was her best friend, and unlike certain others, she refused to turn her back on him because of who he bestowed his affections upon. Hermione firmly believed you couldn't choose who you fell in love with and she wasn't about to lose her best friend over an unorthodox romantic match. That, however, did not mean that she looked forward to this meeting.

When she first noticed Harry, he looked as if he was on his own and she frowned slightly before raising from her chair to wave him over. He noticed her immediately and began weaving through the other tables.

" 'Lo," he greeted, giving a crooked smile as a he drew up a chair. "Been shopping?"

"Just some things from the apothecary and a book." She pulled her bags off the table, placing them by the leg of her chair. "Isn't she –"

Her question was interrupted by the arrival of his girlfriend, who came with someone else in tow. Hermione looked at the two of them, her jaw dropping unattractively. Snapping her mouth shut, she turned to Harry with an eyebrow raised in question.

"Astoria," Harry's girlfriend said and held out her hand across the table while the guy she had brought along flopped unceremoniously into a chair.

"Hermione." Hermione took the hand offered and watched warily as Astoria took a seat.

A pressuring silence settled over the table as Hermione was too preoccupied taking in the absurdity of the scene in front of her. She would need a headache potion if she survived this day.

"Err, Harry," Hermione finally said, nodding her head towards the third wheel, so to speak.

"Oh, yeah," he exclaimed, as if he'd completely forgotten. "Malfoy's here."

She looked at him with a rather unimpressed expression.

"Yes, I can tell."

Astoria quickly turned to Malfoy, as if she too had forgotten about his presence.

"Oh, you should introduce yourself! I completely forgot."

"I hardly think Granger and I need to be introduced, Tory," he answered dryly.

Hermione drummed her fingers on the armrest, a distinct feeling of horrible awkwardness settling in her stomach. She wasn't the least bit prepared for this. Harry had asked her to meet him and his girlfriend to get to know her better, but there had been no warning that any member of the Malfoy family would be tagging along—or anyone else for that matter. There was a certain absurdity about the whole situation that made her want to jump from her chair and run down the street, not looking back. Not only did Harry have a new girlfriend who she had never had any sort of contact with, but he also seemed suspiciously unsurprised at the company his girlfriend had brought with her.

"Introductions are covered," she concluded, not looking in Malfoy's direction. "An explanation would be appreciated, though."

Harry and Astoria exchanged glances.

"My parents don't know," Astoria explained, her eyes mild as she looked towards Harry again. "I'm not sure how to break it to them. My family weren't, well...Death Eaters, but there were certain sympathies, you know?"

"They've been friends with the Malfoys since Astoria was a kid," Harry interjected. "We doubt they'll be impressed."

Astoria nodded at this and rolled her eyes.

"Besides, their plan has—for a few years—been to marry me off to Draco."

Hermione listened to the explanation with dawning horror. She leaned against the table and rested her head against her hand.

"Harry, you can't be serious," she said.

"Oh, I'm serious."

"Am I right in assuming that you two are pretending to be a couple?" Hermione asked, waving her finger vaguely between Astoria and Malfoy.

Astoria gave a hesitant nod. Malfoy seemed completely uninterested and couldn't even be bothered to look up from his inspection of his fingernails.

"Harry, this insane," Hermione exclaimed, shaking her head.

He sighed and looked slightly defeated.

"It's not as bad as it sounds. Malfoy only tags along if we're going out in public. Otherwise, he covers for her so we can hang out at my place."

Hermione still shook her head, wondering how Harry had managed to get tangled up in this mess.

"We'll go get drinks," Astoria said quietly, rising from her chair.

Malfoy remained in his seat, however, leaning even further back in demonstration.

"What do you want, Harry?" she asked, as she moved her chair to clear the path.

"I'll just have a Butterbeer," he replied; he looked at Hermione.

"Uh, hang on." Hermione rummaged through one of her shopping bags for the little pouch with her money. "Coffee: black; no cream or sugar."

Astoria took the coins Hermione handed her and stood next to Malfoy's chair waiting for him to rise. When he didn't, she began tugging on his arm.

"Draco, come on," she said, exasperatedly.

"I don't do servant's work. Bring me back some Butterbeer," he replied, looking unfazed by her physical attempts to move him from the chair.

"Oh, grow up." She yanked hard on his arm.

He reluctantly followed after her, but Harry and Hermione could hear him complaining until they had disappeared inside the café. The two of them sat in awkward silence. Hermione studied the crowds heading up and down the street past the little patio they were seated on. Whenever the crowd cleared for a moment, she could see the window displays at Gambol & Japes.

"You know this isn't going to make Ron any less agitated, right?" she said finally, turning to look at him again.

"I know and I don't really care," he said, shrugging. "If he can't deal with this, then there's nothing I can do."

His sombre expression portrayed something else entirely and her indignation started giving way to sympathy. He didn't look at her, but kept his gaze on the table where his finger traced the pattern of the surface.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" she asked softly.

She turned her attention towards the window of the café, glimpsing Astoria and Malfoy by the counter. The small-framed brunette was placing their orders while the significantly taller of the two kept loitering around the counter, prodding and fingering the items within reach.

"Yes." He looked up and gave a hesitant smile. "I suppose I'm just happy—for the first time in a long while."

Hermione sighed, tapping her finger lightly against her temple—a habit she had picked up without really noticing. Happy. There was a word neither of them had used excessively. The delirious happiness and glory of winning the war, of conquering Voldemort, had been lost long before they had time to appreciate it. All too soon they had been caught up by the losses, the traumas and the feelings they hadn't had time to deal with. She pursed her lips in thought.

"If she can manage to make you happy while Malfoy hangs around, she's got to be something, I suppose."

Harry laughed, leaning lazily back into his chair. A slight breeze pushed the hair out of his face and he hurriedly reached up to smooth it back down to cover his scar. Hermione gave an affectionate smile while watching his frenzied attempt to cover his tell-tale mark. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Astoria making her way back towards their table with slight difficulty. Behind her, Malfoy shuffled, seemingly careless that he was dropping scorching hot coffee onto nearby customers.

Hermione barely fought the urge to roll her eyes and focused her eyes back on Harry as Astoria placed the Butterbeer in front of him.

"Come on," she heard Astoria urge. "The coffee's going to get cold."

Malfoy muttered something incomprehensible in response before he all but threw the cup of coffee down on the table as far away from Hermione as possible. He leaned back in his chair and sipped to his Firewhiskey with a much too satisfied look on his face.

"Merlin, you're useless," Astoria said in distaste. She reached out to put the coffee in front of Hermione with an apologetic look.

Her brown hair slipped from behind her ear as she peered down into the now barely half-full cup.

"I'm sorry." She grimaced slightly and placed the cup down in front of Hermione.

"Don't worry," Hermione answered mildly, ignoring Malfoy and what she suspected was a satisfied smirk.

An awkward silence settled over the group again. Hermione was a talker; she appreciated the odd silence, especially when she spent time by herself, but awkward silences in groups were not something she cherished in the least. She shifted in her seat and picked up the cup, mostly just to have something—anything—to do.

"So, Hermione," Astoria said, her voice wavering slightly. "What do you do?"

Hermione swallowed a mouthful of coffee and enclosed the cup between her hands.

"I work with the Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures," she answered, about to elaborate when Malfoy scoffed loudly.

This time she was caught off guard and forgot that she was currently in the process of ignoring him. Turning towards him, she raised a challenging eyebrow.

"What a pile of Dungbombs," he muttered, rolling his eyes.

Astoria's eyes widened in horror.

"Draco," she hissed in warning, a blush now tinting her cheeks.

"Well, it is!" he exclaimed, gesturing with his free hand. "Her 'job' is to frolic around with goblins and house-elves handing out jelly beans and promises embellished in gold. It's _ridiculous_."

"Draco, shut up."

Astoria's eyes seemed oddly blank and the lips that had been pursed as he spoke now trembled dangerously. Malfoy miraculously did shut up but this didn't seem to comfort Astoria. She sprang from her seat and stumbled over a chair before disappearing inside the café.

Harry turned to him with his eyebrows raised.

"Brilliant work, Malfoy," he said snarling, crossing his arms over his chest.

He looked as if he was battling with himself and Hermione was reminded about how uncomfortable he had been with a crying Cho. He turned slightly and looked to where Astoria had disappeared, but remained seated.

"I'll go," Hermione said hurriedly. "She's probably gone to the toilet."

Not in a million years would she sit out there alone with Malfoy, even if the alternative was Harry's crying girlfriend. She moved hastily from the chair, walking an elaborate detour around Malfoy to avoid the urge she had to dump hot coffee onto his crotch.

The inside of the café was impossibly warm and she vaguely wondered why no one had bothered to apply a cooling charm to the place. The sun shone through the windows, heating the small space almost unbearably. She walked along the counter, knowing the toilets were on the other side of the room. Without knocking, she pushed the door open.

"Astoria?" she asked, quite unnecessarily as she had already found the girl.

The small brunette was sitting on one of the toilets, her feet crossed on the lid. Astoria reached up and wiped a tear angrily from her cheek. Feeling an odd mixture of pity and discomfort, Hermione leaned against the doorframe of the stall, her arms crossed loosely over her chest.

"It's just Malfoy," was all she could think of saying in comfort.

Astoria gave a strange sound that sounded like a mix of laughter and a sob.

"I know," she said, grimacing. "I asked him to not be an idiot, just this once. I wanted today to go well."

"The success of today is in no way dependent on Malfoy," Hermione assured her. "It's like he's not even there anymore. He's just one of those annoying buzzing sounds in my ear; he's a minor annoyance, but nothing of major importance."

Astoria cracked a smile, once again reaching up to dry her tears.

"You mean so much to Harry," she said, fiddling with a button on her robe. "I don't want to be the reason he loses you."

Hermione sighed, her thoughts turning to Ron for a fleeting second.

"He won't lose me," she said intently. "He means a lot to me too."

Astoria looked up at Hermione, her eyes large and tear-filled.

"Will you spend more time with us?" she asked, her voice soft. "It would mean so much to him."

Damn. She had clearly underestimated this girl. Large eyes looked up at her under long lashes, begging for a positive response. Astoria's lips began to tremble slightly. The girl knew her tricks, that was for sure.

Hermione looked at her, searchingly. Was it really anything to think about?

"Yes, I'll spend time with you," she promised, reaching her hand out to pat Astoria awkwardly on the shoulder.

The other girl gave a beaming smile through her tears.

"Thank you."

Hermione didn't doubt for a second that the girl had been truly upset, but she also knew that she had just agreed to something she couldn't go back on.

"Come; let me fix you up," she said, instead of dwelling on the promise she had just made.

Astoria moved from the lid of the toilet and stood calmly as Hermione reached for her wand. For a second she was certain she saw doubt in Astoria's eyes, but then the girl straightened up further and looked straight ahead. Hermione muttered a couple of spells under her breath, leaving Astoria without the puffy eyes and tear-streaked cheeks.

Putting a hand at her back, Hermione pushed her towards the door and the two of the exited together.

[---]

Ron looked up as she put her tray down and flopped down across from him at an otherwise empty table in the Ministry lunchroom. She pulled the tray closer and began to pierce bits of food lazily onto her fork.

"You look like shit," Ron observed, holding a half-eaten sandwich above his plate.

She looked at him under lowered eyebrows as she rested her elbow on the table, holding her fork up to her lips.

"No wonder you're single," she told him, closing her mouth over the delicious food.

She cracked a smile when he stuck his tongue out at her in response.

"You really do look pretty bad. What's up?" he asked.

She avoided his questioning gaze and reached for the bottle of water on her tray. While deliberating how much she wanted to tell him, she unscrewed the lid and took a small sip. Still holding the bottle in her hand she relented and looked up to face the question.

"I met Harry and Astoria yesterday," she admitted, watching him intently as his expression turned stony. The change was unnerving.

Ron took a large bite of his sandwich, chewing furiously.

"She seems quite nice, actually," Hermione told him, taking another bite of her lunch, "but cunning enough to make me promise to spend time with them regularly. She's a Slytherin for a reason, I suppose."

He kept eating in silence, not quite meeting her gaze. She should have been used to this lack of response when it came to the topic of Harry by now, but for some reason it still made her uncomfortable. It was always so difficult trying to decide if she should drop the subject entirely or just keep going, hoping he'd finally start talking about it.

"It's not that bad spending time with _them_," she clarified. "They're using Malfoy as a cover, which means that whenever I spend time with them I have to hang around him too."

Ron stopped chewing, his cheeks flushing.

"What do you mean they're using Malfoy as a cover?"

"Astoria's parents don't know, so she pretends to be with Malfoy. He tags along every time they go out," she explained, sighing. "Which I think is a horrible idea, but Harry won't budge on it."

His eyes had always been so expressive. Even if the expressions of his face showed no particular emotions, his eyes always spoke volumes to her. She could tell that he was most definitely uncomfortable, but there was just something _else_ in his eyes when she spoke about Harry. Why did he have to be so stubborn?

"Why don't you just talk to him?" she asked.

Hermione had broken down. Having promised herself not to pester him about it, she hadn't asked him about anything regarding Harry at all since Harry and Ron stopped speaking. But he looked so...well, he looked downright sad. It seemed like the right moment.

He looked down at the table. She watched him with sad eyes, a bothersome lump lodging itself in her throat.

"I don't want to talk about Harry," he said after several moments of silence.

She was about to reply when he grabbed his tray and stood up.

"I need to get back to work."

Trying to suppress the lump in her throat, she pecked at her lunch without much appetite. This whole wretched situation was starting to take its toll on her. She wasn't trying to take sides, but she couldn't help but feel that Ron was being entirely unfair.

She rose from her seat and put her used dishes in their assigned place by the wall. Heading back towards her office, she walked slowly down the hall towards the lift, her steps echoing off the stone walls. She swallowed several times, the infamous lump in her throat not wanting to let go. There was an uncomfortable prickle behind her eyelids.

When she felt something wet against her cheek she bowed her head as someone passed her in the hallway. A toilet appeared on her right and she pushed the door open, darting inside. It was a weird sense of déjà vu, but this time she wasn't the one consoling. She sat down on the lid of the toilet in the second stall to the left, crossing her feet. Reaching up, she ran her fingers along her cheek, drying the tears.

Their once so close friendship had been non-existent for the past few weeks. She found herself pulled between Harry and Ron, both of them expecting her to take their side. It was proving exhausting to try to maintain a relationship with the both of them when none of them wanted to discuss the other.

She could understand both of them to a certain extent. Harry and Ginny hadn't worked out and then suddenly Harry was with Astoria. Hermione had come to wonder if Ron would had been angry no matter who Harry's new girlfriend was, as long as it wasn't Ginny. And Harry...well, he undoubtedly felt that Ron should stand by him no matter what he chose and that this was what he would have done. As for Hermione, all she wanted was for them to listen to her and see reason so they could become what they once were.

She stood from her seat on the lid and moved up to the mirror over the sink on the opposite wall. Her eyes were puffy and red; her cheeks were tear-streaked and flushed. She looked exactly like she had been hiding in the bathroom crying. Bringing her hand up to dry her wet cheeks, she looked at her mirrored self. No wonder Ron had called it off. She made a grimace at herself as her eyes welled up again.

That was the other problem with the entire situation. They were both so mad at each other that none of them noticed how much she was hurting. None of them noticed that she wasn't moving on. Neither one of them noticed that more than anything she spent her time alone in her new flat with the empty bed, wishing she was back home; because she couldn't call the new flat home. Home was their small, but cosy flat in the rather shabby part of town. Home was where Ron's shirts were littering the dresser. Home was where he moped in his Chudley Cannons robes after another loss. Home was not in her faceless, uncluttered, Ronless flat.

She knew Ginny would have noticed, but Ginny was out travelling the world after she and Harry parted ways. The only signs of life were the letters she sent by owl to a handful of them every time she changed locations. Since the letters were addressed to Ron, living at their old flat, she hadn't even been getting those lately.

The fact of the matter was that she was suffering alone. As long as Harry and Ron were fighting, then they would most likely remain oblivious to the fact that she was still in love with Ron and she didn't know how to get past his dismissal of their relationship. She moved her wand from a small pocket inside her robes and cast a spell to clean her face. For good measure she added a light touch of makeup to make sure no one could tell she spent the last part of her lunch break crying in the girl's room. She straightened up, raised her chin and headed back towards her office.

* * *

**A/N:**

SURPRISE. XD

I know it's been quiet from me from a long, long time now. I've had a very, very bad case of writer's block and I have a terrifying number of incomplete oneshots and attempts at chaptered fics lying around on my laptop. All of them have died a horrible death for some reason or another: plot going no where, inspiration falling short, characters being off or just plain old sucking.

But I signed up for a fic fest on Livejournal called Hermione Big Bang, where the challenge was to write a 20 000+ word Hermione-centric fic. The result is this: Snowblind, a piece of Dramione that totals about 29,000 words. So it's not a large fic by any means, but at least it's something I finally finished!

Snowblind was not originally chaptered for the fic fest, so I've divided it into 8 parts, trying to cut it off in suitable places.

Title and lyrics from Rob Thomas' _Snowblind_.

I hope you like it :)


	2. Part 2

_Part 2_

The following day Ron hadn't even bothered to show up for their regular lunch together at the Ministry. She had ended up sitting alone, picking at her chicken salad, wondering how long it was since she had eaten alone. The same thing had happened all week and now she was leaning back on the couch in her new flat, her shoes kicked off on the carpet and her feet up on the table. It was Friday night and the remote lay haphazardly on her stomach as she stared numbly towards a sitcom she had seen a million times before.

A tapping sound on her window woke her from the mind numbing state and outside the glass she clearly saw two large, amber eyes blinking at her. She got up and let in the spotted owl, Prue, who cooed and rubbed herself affectionately against Hermione's finger. Hermione reached over to the bowl she kept on the sill and snuck her an owl treat before untying the letter from her leg.

_Will you come with us to the pub?  
Malfoy will be there too, but he won't bother you.  
We'll be at the Leaky Cauldron at seven._

_- Harry and Astoria_

She stared at the letter. _Harry and Astoria_. He couldn't even write a letter in singular anymore. She scolded herself and tried to put her irritation aside as she jotted down a quick reply and sent it off with Prue. The spotted owl flew off with her affirmative answer and Hermione was left to brush up before she had to meet them. Part of her wanted to flip them off and tell them to stay away but he was Harry and she had promised to spend time with them—for his sake. Ron definitely wouldn't approve, but what could she do?

Tired of spending the day in work robes, she changed into a comfortable pair of jeans and a deep red top. She swung her cloak around her shoulders and grabbed Floo powder from the little bowl she had on a stand next to the fireplace. It had been hooked up to the system only a week earlier and it was easier to get into the Leaky Cauldron by Floo. Apparition was rather risky in such a crowded room.

She stepped out of the fireplace in the pub to find it bustling with life. Despite being the entrance to Diagon Alley it had never been very crowded back in the day, but since Hannah Abbot had taken over its popularity had shot through the roof. It was no longer dark and dirty, but homey, clean and inviting. It brought a lot of shoppers from Diagon Alley in for a Butterbeer after a successful shopping trip and always seemed to be bustling these days.

Hermione took her cloak off and draped it over her arm before she elbowed her way through the tables and tried to avoid spilling someone's drink. Reaching the bar, she immediately spotted Harry's unruly black hair. It had become quite a skill over the years to point him out in a crowd. He had kept a seat available for her next to him by the bar and she hoisted herself up on the tall stool. Astoria sat on the other side of him, tell-tale platinum hair visible beside her.

Harry was turned towards Astoria engaged in conversation, so Hermione reached out and took a swig of his Firewhisky. As she set the glass back down, he looked over with a confused gaze and then broke into a grin.

"You're early," he noted with a smile.

"Yeah, I didn't have anything else to do, so I figured I'd just head down," she replied, raising her hand in an attempt to get Hannah's attention.

"You look tired," Harry said, his expression clearly expressing worry on her behalf.

Shrugging, Hermione raised her hand again as Hannah came closer.

"I haven't spoken to Ron for days," she admitted.

Harry looked pained.

"It was about me, wasn't it?"

She gave a sad smile at that.

"It's always about you, Harry."

A snort was heard from Malfoy.

"Isn't that the truth," he muttered into his drink.

Hermione rolled her eyes and noticed Astoria being abnormally quiet, as if latching onto every word. She frowned, but before she could think about it any further and before Harry could retort back, Hannah appeared in front of them, her blonde hair tied up in a tight knot on her head. A few strands had fallen out and framed her flushed face.

"Sorry it took so long," she said, leaning against the counter. "It's busy times these days."

"Don't worry," Hermione said with a smile. "I'd just like a Butterbeer, thank you."

She held out the right amount of Knuts and they landed into Hannah's open palm. As Hannah closed her hand around the coins, Hermione's eyes caught something shimmering on her finger. She gasped and reached out to keep Hannah from pulling back.

"Hannah..."

Hannah beamed and held her hand out.

"Neville proposed last weekend," she said, a slight blush tinting her cheeks.

"Congratulations!" Astoria cried, a genuine smile lighting up her face.

Astoria's reaction almost surprised Hermione more than the fact that Neville was engaged, but she managed to repeat the well wishes along with Harry. Hannah beamed in reply and poured Hermione's Butterbeer into a tall glass.

"I'd love to stay and chat, but it's a busy night," she said then and took off with a quick wave.

Hermione turned to Harry and was about to voice her astonishment when she was interrupted.

"I can't believe that stupid oaf got engaged," Malfoy declared, taking a large sip of Firewhisky.

"The oaf is twice the wizard you will ever be," Hermione retorted loudly.

Honestly. Who did Malfoy think he was to utter such a statement? He wasn't exactly the epitome of brilliance and courage. She wanted to laugh at his ridiculous judgement of Neville. Malfoy, however, scoffed at her reply.

"That cowardly, talentless blob can hardly be called a wizard," he said with a laugh.

Hermione felt Harry physically shake in the seat next to her, but she put a comforting hand on his knee.

"You, Malfoy, are hardly the one to talk about cowardice." She smirked. "Harry and Ron saved your cowardly arse so many times during the battle at Hogwarts, while Neville, the talentless blob, was putting his life on the line."

She made the mistake of glancing into his eyes, and received a glare so full of hate she almost felt chills travel down her spine. She immediately turned away. She couldn't help that she had been telling the truth. If he couldn't handle it, that was hardly her fault. Harry's furious shaking had stopped and she swore she saw him grin out of the corner of her eye. She fleetingly wondered how he managed to stay so calm, but she supposed he had to keep his anger in check for Astoria's sake. She wouldn't doubt that he took some kind of sedating potion to be able to stay this way.

Malfoy remained silent after that, only brooding into his drink as the other three kept light conversation. It was oddly comfortable, but she still felt a bit restrained by Astoria's presence. It wasn't like having Ginny there, but she couldn't blame Astoria for not being Ginny. Unlike Ron, Hermione had long since accepted that Harry and Ginny weren't meant to be. Both of them had moved on in their own way and that was good enough for Hermione. It was still strange, though, and wasn't sure how she felt about Harry's new relationship just yet.

They were in the middle of a conversation about Astoria's job when she suddenly gave a high-pitched squeal that sent the other three jumping in fright. Hermione looked at her with slight worry as Astoria flew up from her seat.

"Harry, it's Imogen!" she exclaimed. "You know Imogen: my best friend from Hogwarts. You have to meet her!"

She dragged him from his seat and all Harry had the time to do was to give Hermione an apologetic look. The two of them disappeared towards the back of the room, leaving Hermione and Malfoy at the bar with two stools between them. Despite the noisy room, an unpleasant silence reined. Hermione drank greedily from her third Butterbeer, wishing more than anything that she could just leave. She didn't look in his direction, but tried instead to catch Hannah's attention. She'd much rather chat with Hannah. The barmaid was busy serving newly arrived customers, though, and didn't see her desperate attempt to make contact.

"I thank you profoundly for making me look like an idiot," he said then, sarcasm dripping heavily from every syllable.

She rolled her eyes, still not looking in his direction.

"You don't need much help."

He didn't answer at first and silence filled the void between them once again for a few moments.

"I can't believe they tricked you too into this," he muttered into his glass.

"I wasn't tricked. I'm here because I want to be."

She turned towards him and met his gaze head-on even if she knew she was telling a white (or at least off-white) lie.

"We both know that's a load of shit," he said, raising an eyebrow in her direction. "They lured you into this scheme. Just like they did me."

"I don't know where you get your facts, but I'm here because Harry wants to spend time with me," she insisted.

He looked at her incredulously and then laughed.

"You really think that, don't you?" he asked, sounding amused. "Are you really that stupid?"

Anger flared in her at that. If there was one thing she hated, it was being called stupid.

"Enlighten me, Malfoy," she said angrily. "Tell me why I'm so stupid."

He smirked as if saying it would be his pleasure.

"Isn't it rather obvious that they want you to hang around so it'll look like we're all on a double date?" he remarked, chugging the last bit of his Firewhiskey. "It would look rather strange if Harry always hung around me and Astoria out on dates, but with a second girl it'll just look like two couples going out together."

She opened her mouth to object when it suddenly hit her that he was entirely right. When it was the four of them out in public, no one would raise an eyebrow (except at the odd mix of people), but if it had only been the three of them they would have attracted attention. She just couldn't believe Harry would use her for something like that.

She frowned, not knowing how to feel about this new piece of information. As she remained silent, Malfoy turned in his chair looking out over the room. After a while she followed his gaze and noticed that he was looking in the direction of Harry and Astoria where they stood by a group of girls. A smile tugged on her lips as realisation dawned on her.

"You like her, don't you?" she said, raising her eyebrow challengingly.

He looked back at her slowly, his face set in an unfriendly scowl.

"Don't be ridiculous, Granger."

"I'm not being ridiculous," she replied, grinning. "You like her. That's why you're doing this. You just couldn't say no to her large doe-eyes and her pouty red lips, could you?"

"Granger," he warned, his voice rough. "Shut the bloody hell up."

The tone in his voice made her fall silent, but she knew she was right by the look on his face. She grinned knowingly to herself as Harry and Astoria made their way back and Malfoy's face fell back into the same uncaring expression.

[---]

It was difficult to concentrate on work. Ever since Friday, her head had been spinning with strange thoughts and realisations. It was strange to know that Draco Malfoy was in a similar situation as she was, except he and Astoria had never actually been a couple as far as she knew. It was still the same thing, though. Both she and Malfoy were pining for someone they couldn't have. The thought was surreal and distracting. To find that she could actually relate to Malfoy about anything was disconcerting, really.

At first she had been pleased to reveal his weakness and learn the real motive behind him being there at all. Then, as sleep refused to catch her during the night, it dawned on her how similar their situations were. When a feeling that resembled pity for Malfoy had emerged around five in the morning, she had gotten out of bed to do laundry and make a large breakfast. She just couldn't handle thinking anything but horrible things about that slimy git.

Yet the thoughts had yet to let go and it was now Monday after lunch. Ron had failed to show again and she had briefly wondered where he ate while carrying out this silent treatment. She wouldn't put it past him to go home to The Burrow just to avoid her. She leaned back in her chair and surveyed her tiny office. There wasn't room for anything but her desk, one chair on either side and an enchanted window on the opposite wall of the door. She liked it, though. It was hers and she had worked hard for it. The thought that anyone working on elfish rights should get any office at all would have been laughable before she entered the Ministry. Everything tasted so much better when you knew you had worked for it.

Looking straight ahead, she was lost in thought for a while before she swivelled around in her chair and began rummaging through her purse to find the sandwich she had packed this morning. It was supposed to be a snack while she stayed late, but it would have to do as a peace offering. She rose from her chair and headed out into the hallway, determined to get him to speak to her

After getting out of the lift, she rounded a corner and walked down the aisle between the cubicles, stopping right outside his. She stood in the opening and peered at him where he sat, bent over a parchment that he was scribbling lazily on. His head was slightly inclined, making his hair slip into his eyes. The dull ache in her chest bloomed as she watched him in silence. It was such a strange feeling to know that his love for her had just vanished—that it just wasn't there anymore. In contrast, hers just wouldn't end no matter how hard she tried. It had never occurred to her that his affections could just disappear, as if someone just took them and then that would be it.

It was as if he felt her gaze on him and he looked up, sitting up straighter when he saw her leaning against the wall. She looked at him, anticipating a greeting, but he seemed to have been caught off guard.

"Peace offering," she explained, holding out the small bag with her sandwich in it.

"Thanks," he said, a bit stiffly.

She moved inside the small cubicle and sat down in the chair opposite his desk, leaving the bag on the desk in front of him.

"So, you've been eating crumbs off the floor?" she asked, pressing forth a smile.

To her surprise he cracked a smile in return, looking a bit sheepish.

"I've been having lunch in Diagon Alley, mostly," he admitted, leaning back in his chair and drawing a hand through his hair.

She gave an incredulous laugh at that, supporting her elbow against the armrest and rested her cheek against her hand. Looking at him, she chuckled again.

"That seems a bit impractical," she noted in amusement.

A mild blush tinted his cheeks as he shrugged.

"You know me."

Indeed, she did. There really was no limit to his stubbornness. A warm rush of affection traced through her at the thought of this far from positive trait, one which was still so distinctly Ron.

"I got a letter from that girl, you know," he said, grimacing. "I don't know who she thinks she is."

Hermione wasn't surprised. The way Astoria had perked up when Hermione mentioned Ron at the pub, she had long since figured that Astoria was trying to bridge the gap between Harry and Ron.

"A privileged pureblood used to getting her way?" Hermione suggested, raising and eyebrow. "Though, you can't really blame her for trying. She wants Harry to be happy."

"Yeah, well. So did Ginny," he answered shortly, pursing his lips together.

She frowned at that. He had never really mentioned their break up in many words until now.

"Is that why you're so against Harry's new relationship?" she asked, picking her words carefully.

"She did everything to make him happy and now because of him she's left." He moved a file from one spot on his desk to another, seemingly without purpose.

She studied his face, for the first time noticing that he looked rather tired. From her point of view, it seemed he had a bit of a skewed perception of Harry and Ginny's break up, and especially on Ginny's motives for leaving. She swallowed, preparing herself mentally for what she was about to say next.

"You ended things with me," she reminded him, trying to ignore the discomfort she felt in bringing it up. "Does that make you a bad person?"

"That's completely different."

She laughed incredulously.

"How?"

He leaned back in his chair again, sighing.

"You didn't leave your family and the country to get over me," he said, shrugging.

Breath caught in her throat, for the first time in a while feeling the pulsing anger he had left her with.

"So, just because I'm not making some lavish gesture about my pain, I didn't have a hard time with it?" she said, her voice shaking slightly. She was afraid she'd given away too much. "Break ups are hard, Ron, but relationships end and it's rarely anyone's fault."

His mouth fell slightly open and then closed again, as if it had never even occurred to him that she might not have gotten over it as fast as he had. In a way, she supposed she couldn't blame him. He had felt his feelings weaken over time and then they'd disappeared. He had then prepared himself for the end of the relationship. He had come to terms with the end before it happened. She had been unprepared and was left with unresolved feelings for a man who was over her before she knew it was done.

"Ginny left because she needed to get over Harry, yes, but she also wanted to use this time to be on her own and experience things," she explained calmly.

He looked at her for a moment.

"He hurt her."

"Yes," she simply answered.

"I told him he would regret it if he hurt her."

She smiled a bit sadly.

"You're a man of your words, Ron," she joked.

He rolled his eyes, but couldn't suppress a small smile.

* * *

**A/N:** Thank you for all your feedback!

And I would also like to thank those who helped me during the writing process. Thanks to Jess and Liz for their beta-work. And a grand old THANK YOU to _elyaeru_ for pointing out all the things I couldn't put my finger on and helping me make this fic a lot better than it originally was.


	3. Part 3

**Disclaimer: **It's not stealing, it's borrowing ;)

* * *

**Part 3**

Making peace with Ron lifted a burden off her shoulders and the rest of the work week went by quickly, their daily lunch back in session. She didn't hear anything from Harry until Friday evening when Prue once again showed up at her window. The letter, written by Harry alone this time, asked her to join them tomorrow in Hyde Park for a picnic. As she stared at the letter she had to chuckle, admitting to herself that this one she didn't want to miss. Astoria wanted to have a picnic in a Muggle park? And Malfoy had to be there? Her shoulders shook with mirth.

_I'm there. _

She chuckled again as she sent Prue to return to Harry with her affirmative answer. Deep in thought she headed for her closet, certain that she had some things she could bring along for the picnic.

The next day dawned and she packed a bag with some food and assorted accessories needed for a proper picnic. She had gotten a reply back from Harry later the previous evening about meeting by Lancaster Gate and decided to travel by Underground. Apparition was too risky in a central Muggle area and the closest station wasn't far away from her flat. She walked along in the pleasant August weather, wearing only a yellow sundress and sandals; her hair was swept back in a loose ponytail.

The mode of transportation was quick but hot and stuffy. She took the train down to Tottenham Court Road and changed to the Central Line before finally getting off at Lancaster Gate. As she moved upwards, the stuffy air was getting uncomfortable and she hurried up to ground level, looking forward to the fresh air. Once outside, she took a deep breath and relished the slight breeze. She spotted Harry and the other two right by the fence on the other side of the road and she hurried across, reaching them with a bright smile.

"I'm ready for the picnic," she announced, holding up her bag and pushed the sunglasses further up on her head.

Astoria was carrying the ever picturesque picnic basket while Harry had a blanket thrown over his shoulder. Malfoy looked unimpressed as ever, his hands buried in the jeans someone had forced on him for the occasion. He looked surprisingly normal in the jeans with the accompanying black t-shirt and she inclined her head slightly as she watched him. When he turned his head and met her gaze she looked away instantly. For some reason, keeping eye-contact with him for any longer period made her antsy.

She walked along the side of the fence, knowing there was a gate nearby. She turned to make sure they were following her. Once again she was struck by how much she loved the touch of green in the heart of London. It was so out of place, yet so very natural.

"We should go to Kensington Gardens," she called over her shoulder, her enthusiasm apparent in her voice.

"I can't be bothered to carry the things that far in," Harry replied just as they passed through the gates. "Let's just find a spot right inside."

She supposed he had a point. Her bag was getting rather heavy in the August heat and the best was probably to just find a lovely, shaded spot that wasn't too crowded. Following the road only a few minutes, she found the perfect spot in the shade of two large trees, the blue waters of the Serpentine visible not too far away.

"Here we are," she proclaimed, dropping her bag to the ground.

Astoria walked up to where she was standing, a slight breeze causing her hair to flutter in front of her eyes. She brushed it away irritably with her free hand.

"This looks like a decent spot," she agreed, lowering the basket carefully. "Put the blanket down, will you, Harry?"

Harry grinned and did a silly gesture, making Astoria roll her eyes and Hermione smile briefly at his antics. Placing the blanket on the ground, Astoria sat down on her knees, beginning to empty the contents of the basket.

Hermione sat down at the edge of the blanket, finding it pleasantly cushioned by a charm. She pulled the sunglasses down over her eyes, eyeing Malfoy as he remained standing, hands still in his pockets. She couldn't help but wonder why he bothered to keep this up. He always showed an obvious distaste at being present and she couldn't quite figure out why he wanted to help the girl he had a thing for with her secret relationship to another man. She knew she would never have helped Ron with anything of the sort.

"Are you going to stand there until we leave?" she asked, allowing a crooked smile onto her lips.

He looked up from whatever he was eyeing on the ground and made a face.

"I don't know whose ridiculous idea this was, but I'm not sitting on the ground," he proclaimed, his gaze flittering away from her again

Hermione shared a look with Harry, half-amused, half-exasperated.

"This ridiculous idea was mine, Draco," Astoria said, her voice strained. "Sit down."

Hermione chuckled for a second, but it died on her lips when she saw the look in Malfoy's eyes. She swallowed heavily, finding the look much too familiar. He remained standing, though, looking more uncomfortable now than anything else.

"It's cushioned," she told him, her voice softer than she would have liked. "It's rather comfortable actually."

At first he seemed to show no sign of moving, but when she looked away to see what Astoria and Harry had brought she noticed a movement out of the corner of her eye. Disguised by her sunglasses, she kept her head turned towards Astoria, but her eyes moved to Malfoy. He was sitting stiffly upon one end of the blanket, his palms resting against it and he leaned onto them in an attempt to find a comfortable position.

She almost thought he looked different than he had the first day. The day at the café he had only seemed uninterested, full of attitude and generally unpleasant. At the pub she had seen the first sign of weakness in the way he looked at Astoria but he had still seemed confident and haughty. Now there was something completely different about him. Sure, he was out of his element, but it was more than that. His eyes couldn't hide the emotions welling in them when he looked over at Harry and Astoria and she wondered if the arrangement was getting to him.

She hated that she was feeling pity for the man. He didn't deserve pity and he probably didn't want it either, but she couldn't get past the fact that she knew how he felt. She knew it so well. She reached into her bag and brought out a bottle of pop, holding it out to him. He looked up, an incredulous look in his face.

"What are you doing?" he asked suspiciously, frowning.

"Offering you a drink," she said as if it was the most natural thing in the universe. "It's Muggle. Pop with flavours of citrus."

"No one told me the deal implied I had to actually interact with you," he commented, but took the bottle from her hand.

She just shrugged, opening a bottle herself and took a good sip. It was still moderately cold, which was a feat in itself. He watched her drink from the bottle as if to verify it wasn't some elaborate joke and slowly unscrewed the lid. Carefully, he took a sip and she watched, a smile playing on her lips. His eyes popped a bit in surprise as he swallowed and then grimaced in discomfort.

"Wow, that's sickening," he commented in disgust, looking at the bubbles moving towards the top of the liquid in the bottle.

Despite the comment of disapproval he angled the bottle to his lips again as he eyed Harry and Astoria placing out the food they brought. Hermione tried to find a flat spot to balance her bottle, fumbling a bit before it stood safely. She reached out and took a biscuit from the plate Harry had just placed on the cushioned blanket and he looked up, smiling briefly.

"I heard from Kingsley that you're making progress on the Elfish welfare law," he said then, leaning back to survey their meal.

She nodded and swallowed quickly.

"We've made real progress in gathering support for our claim that such a law is needed," she said, allowing a proud smile onto her lips. "I'm really stunned at some of the people who have uttered support and we're in the process of setting down a committee to work on the wording and implications of the law."

"I think more and more people will open their eyes to the positive effects of instating a law like that." Harry squinted against the sun. "There's been quite a buzz about it around the Ministry lately."

Hermione gave a tiny smile and leaned slightly forwards.

"If you can keep a secret, we've actually signed on the first member of the committee," she revealed. "Gideon Oakby has signed on, which is marvellous. Not only is his father Idris Oakby, who founded the Society for the Support of Squibs, but Gideon also has long experience from the Wizengamot and the procedures of law in the wizarding community."

Harry gave a low whistle.

"Hermione, that's impressive," he noted. "Once word gets out, I doubt you'll have much problem recruiting the rest of your committee members."

"That's what we're hoping." Hermione nodded and brushed crumbs off the front of her sundress. "Merlin knows we spent months convincing Gideon this is a cause worth supporting."

"I think what you're doing is really important," Astoria said, giving Malfoy a challenging look.

Hermione smiled genuinely, although she couldn't help but be surprised. She hadn't pegged Astoria as a supporter for elfish rights but it was just another reason to not put weight on stereotypes. Admittedly, the lines had blurred considerably since the war, but sometimes people kept clinging onto the differences—herself included. Glancing sideways at Malfoy, she found his expression arranged in mask of neutrality. He remained quiet and uttered few words as they ate over light conversation.

It was subtle changes but she eventually noticed that Harry and Astoria turned the attention more and more towards each other. It grew apparent that the two more than anything wanted to be alone and Hermione withdrew from the conversation. Instead, she stretched languidly in the heat from the sun and took the opportunity to study Malfoy from behind her darkened glasses. Now that she had realised his feelings for Astoria, she noticed the quick looks he sent her and the almost unnoticeable grimace he made whenever she pecked Harry's cheek. She could also notice the cracks in his confident and indifferent mask and there was no denying that it intrigued her.

Turning to look at Harry and Astoria she decided it was definitely time to leave them alone for a bit or they'd start snogging each other right in front of them. She got to her feet a bit clumsily and reached into her bag.

"Want to play?" she asked Malfoy, holding the Frisbee up for him to see.

A pale eyebrow rose on his forehead incredulously.

"Look, Granger, I don't know what you –"

He stopped once he glanced over to Harry and Astoria, finding them huddled together, whispering to each other. His expression darkened and he gave a heavy sigh of defeat before he evidently decided Hermione and her Frisbee might be the lesser of two evils. She turned on her heel without waiting for him and moved towards a more open area closer to the road they'd come from. As she found a good spot she made sure the amorous couple was out of sight.

Malfoy took his good time following her and she rolled her eyes as she watched him shuffle towards her at a painfully slow tempo. She sighed at the miserable image he presented and had to wonder if she was that obvious about Ron. If she was, she had no idea how no one noticed.

He stopped in front of her and eyed her with indifference.

"This is a Frisbee," she told him, holding out the disc for him to see. "I throw it to you and you catch it. Then you throw it back. It's very simple."

He didn't answer and she sighed in annoyance at his reluctance to play along.

"Do you think you can do that?" she asked challengingly.

"Granger, I think I can catch a stupid plate," he said irritably and rolled his eyes.

"Okay, fine," she grumbled, pushing the sunglasses up on her head.

She bent her knees slightly and flicked the Frisbee towards Malfoy. It soared beautifully through the air, like Frisbees do, and hit him straight in the forehead. He stood rooted to the ground, shock edged on his features before he raised his hand to his forehead and rubbed it experimentally. Hermione gaped for a second as it hit him straight in the head before she hunched over and cried out with laughter. He looked utterly gobsmacked and the visual was too ridiculous not to laugh at.

He glared at her angrily as she laughed and clutched her stomach with one hand. With an angry sneer, he picked up the Frisbee to throw it at her. It wobbled in the air and fell to the ground before it came half-way and she laughed harder. His cheeks coloured and he pulled his lips into a vicious sneer before he turned to leave.

She stopped laughing, her eyes growing large. Straightening up, she launched forwards and grabbed his elbow.

"Malfoy, come on," she pleaded. "Don't take yourself so bloody seriously."

"I don't want to play some ridiculous Muggle game," he muttered, trying to shake her off.

"I'll show you how to do it," she suggested. "You just need to learn the technique."

"Granger," he said in warning, "get your filthy hands off me!"

She frowned and her jaw clenched angrily.

"The alternative is going back to Harry and Astoria to watch them snog. Is that what you want?"

He stopped trying to shake her off and his lips pursed into a thin line. She realised he knew which would be the better alternative, so she let him go and turned to pick of the Frisbee. When she straightened up, he stood behind her, his hands deep in the pockets of his Muggle jeans. She moved to stand beside him and held the Frisbee in her hand, showing him the movement of her hand.

"You need to flick your wrist. Don't throw the Frisbee; it should glide through the air and throwing it will just make it fall," she explained. "It's kind of like a flick of your wand."

She demonstrated and the Frisbee soared through the air. Malfoy showed no sign of moving to pick it up, so she sighed and moved over to fetch it. She held it out to him and didn't relent until he'd taken it in his hand.

"You try," she urged, trying not to show her frustration with his lack of enthusiasm.

He gave a half-hearted try and it was decidedly better than before. This time he moved forwards and picked it up before he returned to her side. When he was about to try again, she reached quickly forwards and gripped his wrist. He twitched under her touch, but she pointedly ignored it. She guided the motion of his hand with hers, telling him when he should let go for the best result. It was an immediate improvement and she beamed when it flew much longer than on his previous attempt.

"See, it's actually really simple!"

She didn't wait for an answer since she didn't exactly expect one. Instead, she moved further away from him and picked up the Frisbee on the way. She got into position, getting ready to throw it to him.

"Oh, and the secret is to actually catch it," she noted, smiling in amusement.

"Ha ha, Granger. You're hilarious," he stated dryly, but held his arms ready to catch it this time.

He caught it between his hands this time, avoiding a hit to the head. The action earned him an applause from Hermione that was cut short by the Frisbee zooming against her and she had to jump to catch it.

"I get it. I get it," she said, throwing her hands up. "I'll stop mocking."

They continued playing in near silence. They worked up a rhythm and it kept them occupied for a while. They didn't argue, but they didn't keep up any pretence of conversation either. The warm sun was scorching, though, and Hermione found herself growing tired. After having stretched to reach one throw from Malfoy, she lowered her hands and began walking towards him instead.

"It's much too hot to keep this up," she said as she neared him. "I could use another drink."

He nodded in agreement and followed her in silence back towards the spot where they had left Harry and Astoria. When they came into sight, she sighed heavily and stopped in her tracks. Harry was currently pushing Astoria back towards the trunk of a tree while snogging her breathless.

"I don't think we should go back yet," she told Malfoy who was two steps behind her.

"I'm not playing any more Frisbee, so I'm going back no matter what they're talking about." He was clearly annoyed and his mood wasn't lifted when he looked up and found the snogging couple. "Oh, for the love of..."

She gave an apologetic grimace and turned again, still carrying the Frisbee in her hand.

"I don't know about you, but I'm not about to interrupt them."

Hermione couldn't help but wonder why she and Malfoy were even there as they walked back where they came from, looking for a spot in the shade to relax. It was a Muggle park after all, so Harry and Astoria shouldn't have been disturbed by anyone that shouldn't see them alone together. Hermione found a spot under a row of trees where the ground inclined slightly downwards and she lay down, stretching out on the sloping ground. Reaching behind her head, she released her hair from its pony tail at the back of her head as lying on it was less than comfortable. She rested her hands behind her head and stretched languidly in the warmth. The temperature was much more comfortable in the shade, though a drink would have been even better.

Her eyes were closed, but she both heard and felt him lay down not too far from her. He wasn't lying as close as any of her other friends would have, but he was close enough for anyone to assume they were there together. The thought was a bit surreal. To anyone passing they must have looked like reasonably good friends, lying together in the shade relaxing with a Frisbee resting between them.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked, her eyes still closed. "It's certainly not for your own enjoyment."

She had finally voiced the thought that had bothered her all day. He remained quiet, though she hadn't expected otherwise. She opened her eyes quickly to glance at him. He too had his eyes shut and his face seemed entirely neutral, as if he was asleep. She closed her eyes again before he could notice her looking at him.

"Why do you think I'm doing it?" he finally answered.

She shrugged, even if he couldn't see it.

"You're doing it because you like her," Hermione said quietly. "But that's what I don't understand. When you like her so much, how can you help her be with Harry? You never struck me as particularly selfless."

She couldn't stop her rambling before she realised just what she had said. Pursing her lips, she cursed herself for always taking things much too far.

"Thanks for the in-depth evaluation of my character, Granger," he noted dryly and then paused a bit. "I'm doing it for myself, not anyone else. What would my chances be if I cursed her out because of her new relationship? This way, I'm still there when it falls apart."

Oh, Merlin. How on earth could she tell Malfoy he was delusional? It was pretty clear to her that it wasn't going to fall apart anytime soon and quite frankly, he was just helping them along.

"From my point of view, your strategy doesn't seem to be working," she finally replied, unsure of what else to say.

"Oh yeah? It's better than doing nothing. That's not working too well for you, is it?"

Her eyes shot open. He did not just imply...

"I don't know what you're talking about," she muttered, her cheeks colouring slightly.

"Sitting around doing nothing isn't getting Weasley back to you," he continued.

She darted up from the ground, wheeling around to stare at him wildly. Her mouth opened to speak, but no sound passed her lips. She was too shocked to create a single sound and her mind worked furiously to figure out how he could possibly know.

"You're not the only one who notices things," he declared lazily.

Her cheeks burned and she bent down to pick up the discarded Frisbee.

"You don't know _anything_ about me, Malfoy," she informed him, her voice not betraying how frazzled she was.

Her heart raced in her chest when she turned and walked swiftly back towards Harry and Astoria. No one else had noticed how far she was from getting over Ron and she had gotten so used to being alone in her misery. Now _he_ of all people knew that she was still pining like some little school girl. She tried to think back to the conversations she had held with Harry about Ron while Malfoy was around. From what she could remember, they had been brief and pretty neutral, but somehow he had managed to figure out what Harry and Ron had overlooked for months.

She reached the site of the picnic and plopped down on the blanket, not caring that she was interrupting the amorous couple. With a nauseating pop the two separated from their embrace and they both looked in her direction. Astoria blushed heavily, and ran two fingers over her swollen lips as if to wipe away the evidence of Harry's kisses.

"Where have you been?" she asked, fumbling a bit over the words as she sat up.

"Playing Frisbee," Hermione muttered, throwing the disc back into her bag.

She grabbed the remainder of her pop and took a large sip, even if it was now warmer than it was cold and refreshing.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked, frowning. "He didn't do anything, did he?"

"No, everything's fine," she assured him, although probably not convincingly in the least.

Malfoy sat down on the blanket again then and she ignored him pointedly as she drank what was left in the bottle.

* * *

**A/N:**

Thanks for the feedback! :)


	4. part 4

**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling, if there was ever any doubt ;) And again the lyrics belong to Rob Thomas and is from his song Snowblind

* * *

_but it doesn't mean that this isn't right_

_we just both need a little more time_

**Part 4**

In the days following the picnic, Harry asked her several times what Malfoy had done to make her so upset. He even dropped by her office one day to corner her about it, but she just repeated the same answer over and over again. After all, it was the truth. Malfoy hadn't done a thing wrong; he had just noticed what she assumed she had hidden so well. Later it had dawned on her that she hadn't hidden it well at all, it was just Harry and Ron who were ridiculously blind. Though, that shouldn't surprise anyone and her the least of all.

She sought Ron out in the cafeteria for lunch again, as she often found their time at lunch was one of the highlights of her day. It wasn't necessarily because seeing him still sent her heart into a frenzy (though it truly did), but because he was still one of her best friends and they spent too little time together these days as it was.

As she sat down opposite him she couldn't decide if they actually did spend too little time together or if she should try to distance herself to get over this whole ordeal, because she had finally realised she had to put it behind her. She didn't want to end up like Malfoy, clinging onto some false hope that if she only helped Ron with his relationships, then he would turn to her when they failed.

"Hey," she greeted, placing the plate with sandwiches in front of her on the table.

He looked up and muttered something unintelligible through his mouthful of food. She scrunched up her nose and frowned at him.

"Very appetising, Ron," she commented, making a face.

He swallowed with a slight effort.

"I'm hungry." He wiped his mouth on the back of his robe-covered wrist. "It's been a bloody busy day."

She watched his manoeuvre and filed it under the 'moving on' column. Watching Ron eat wasn't particularly endearing.

"Are they putting that much work on you guys? I mean, since you're basically right out of training?"

Ron and Harry had finished Auror training early in May and Ron had gone straight on to working at the department, while Harry had requested some months' leave. She couldn't blame him, but she suspected it might be another reason Ron was being so sour when Harry was concerned these days.

"They don't care," he told her with a roll of his eyes. "They don't give us the worst cases, but they definitely pile on enough work to keep us busy."

"I guess they don't have the capacity to be easy on you," she mused, taking a bite of her lunch.

"Probably not. I don't really want them to either," he said between bites. "Ewan had to go with a bunch of people to the Malfoy Manor today."

She looked up from her plate, frowning. For some reason, the thought troubled her.

"Why, has something happened there?" she asked.

"No, nothing unusual. The Ministry does regular checkups to make sure they're not up to anything fishy and an Auror has to go with them to make sure nothing goes down," he explained. "Frankly, I wish they'd sent me, 'cause I'm sure they're missing something at that place."

She narrowed her eyes at his last statement.

"You think they're up to something?" she asked, raising an eyebrow questioningly.

"I don't trust Malfoy not to." Ron shrugged. "I don't believe for a second that he's just sitting by while his father rots in Azkaban."

She shook her head incredulously.

"Don't you think the Ministry would have found out by now if he was? If they have these checkups that often, I doubt he could do much without being detected. What would he try to do, anyway? Too many of the Death Eaters were imprisoned. Those on Voldemort's side who weren't imprisoned lost too much of their status and fortunes to be much of a threat."

Ron remained quiet for a little while, seemingly deep in thought. His silence gave her thoughts time to turn to Malfoy. If he had been up to anything, he definitely wouldn't have had time to spend so much time playing along with Harry and Astoria's scheme. It was more than that, though. She just couldn't get herself to believe Malfoy would actually have any dodgy plans. Sure, he was still a brat in many ways, but he didn't seem as ruthless as he once was—or thought he was.

"I don't think he's trying to create a new army or anything like that," Ron finally said. "I'm thinking more along the lines of breaking his father out of Azkaban. I know I would have if it was my dad."

Hermione shook her head slowly, taking a sip from her bottle of water.

"You and Malfoy are different, though. You probably wouldn't think twice about risking a lot of things to get your dad out of prison, but I don't think Malfoy would put that many things on the line," she mused, leaning a bit forwards against the table. "There's too much at stake if it's only him and his mother. What would she do if he got imprisoned for trying to break his father out?"

"How is he earning a living, anyway?" Ron asked, not making a remark on her defence of Malfoy.

She stopped chewing and frowned. That was actually a pretty good question. She had never thought to ask what he was doing these days. Then again, they hadn't spoken much and she supposed that the fact she had no idea spoke volumes of how little they communicated.

"I don't know," she answered after swallowing heavily. "I've never asked."

Ron didn't answer. He just popped the last piece in his mouth and cleaned his fingers off on his robe. His mother would no doubt have reprimanded him if she was around. Hermione just set her face in a disapproving expression, but said nothing. He finally swallowed and pushed his tray away.

"I got a letter from Ginny," he revealed, clearly signalling the end of the Malfoy discussion.

Hermione looked up to meet his gaze in surprise.

"Really? How is she?"

Since they broke up, the letters had been carried to Ron and she hadn't been able to read any of them. He didn't think far enough to offer them to her to read and she didn't want to ask.

"She seems fine." He avoided her gaze then and stared up towards an empty spot on the wall above her. "She's somewhere in Asia now."

"I'm sure she's having an amazing time," Hermione proclaimed, thinking of all the brilliant places Ginny had seen on her trip.

He made a noncommittal sound of agreement before he reached up to ruffle his hair. He was nervous, she recognised.

"I haven't told her about us, you know," he admitted. "I don't want to do it by letter. Merlin knows why I don't, because she will definitely hex me when I tell her in person, but I can't bring myself to tell her in a letter."

Hermione nodded slowly. She could definitely understand why he hadn't. In fact, she had refrained from letting Ginny know for the very same reason.

"I think it's best to just wait until she's back," Hermione answered, pushing her empty tray away. "She'll no doubt be angry that we kept her out of the loop, but..."

"But if we send a letter, she'll definitely break off her trip and come rushing back," Ron finished for her and continued when he saw Hermione's expression. "No, that's not what I want. Even though it probably seems like I do."

She looked at him under raised eyebrows, his answer taking her by surprise. After he admitted that Ginny's trip was one of the reasons he resented Harry, she had assumed he would jump at any chance to get Ginny back home.

"Well, I agree," she said after swallowing her surprise. "There's no reason to cut her trip short and we don't need her to come home."

He looked at the clock over the doorway and frowned.

"I should get back to work," he muttered, sounding less than pleased and moved from the table to stand beside it. "Are you coming to The Burrow for dinner this weekend?"

Hermione was taken aback by his invitation. She had stopped going to the weekly family dinners after the relationship ended. It had just been too painful, since she hadn't only lost Ron, but also a place in the Weasley family. Going to the family dinners had been unthinkable. Now that he outright asked her, she didn't feel as much dread as she thought she would. In fact, she kind of wanted to.

"I might," she answered, giving a small smile.

"Mum constantly asks for you," he admitted, his expression falling a bit. "It would mean a lot to her if you came."

Hermione rose from the table, taking both their trays in her hands.

"Thank you for asking me," she said honestly and smiled again.

He muttered something unintelligible in reply and headed off towards his office as she placed their empty trays in their place by the wall.

[---]

Harry's invitations were becoming more frequent. She had already gone out with them for drinks during the week and turned down another evening of drinks when Prue arrived with another invitation Friday afternoon. Hermione stared at the invitation with a large frown, finding the onslaught of invitations both annoying and rather strange.

There was a certain pressure to accept the invitation, even if she could think of a couple of other things she would rather do than hang out with Astoria and Malfoy. She had after all made a promise to Astoria and she found it difficult to turn down Harry, even if two Slytherins did come with the bargain.

She frowned down at the letter again. It was vague and didn't mention the plans specifically. The only thing it asked her to was to meet them at the Leaky Cauldron, but it appeared they would be moving on from there. She found it rather odd that Harry wouldn't mention the destination but got no more time to mull it over as Prue hooted impatiently and nipped at her finger to get her attention.

Hermione absently reached out and handed her an owl treat before she grabbed an empty parchment and scribbled down an affirmative answer. Why did she get the feeling she would regret this?

Two hours later she was making her way through the crowd in the Leaky Cauldron, greeting Hannah cheerfully as she passed the bar while looking for Harry. She was feeling uneasy at the lack of knowledge about where they were going and as she perused the room she was constantly fighting the urge to turn and go back home.

She eventually found Harry and hurried over to him before she could change her mind and turn back to curl up with a book. The three of them were waiting for her by the entrance from Muggle London and she looked over at them with suspicion before she greeted them warily.

"Finally!" Harry exclaimed in greeting and opened the door out into the street and ushered them out. "Let's get going or we'll be late."

"Where exactly are we going, Harry?" she asked as she walked past him as the last of the group and he put a hand at her back to push her out the door.

"Sorry," he said in a low voice. "I just want to surprise Astoria."

"So you can't tell me in a letter?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "You're lucky I'm actually wearing Muggle clothes."

He looked down at her attire at that as if he hadn't even thought of it before, even if the three of them were all wearing Muggle attire.

"I'm sorry," he said again, grimacing. "It completely slipped my mind when I wrote the letter."

She stared at him incredulously, wondering briefly if he had lost his mind entirely. Before she could reply he gave her a last pat on the back and took three long steps to catch up with Astoria. Hermione's face set in a scowl, not at all happy with the treatment she was receiving at the moment. If she hadn't decided to keep it simple today because of the lack of information in the letter, she could've been roaming Muggle London in her freaking dress robes. And that was never a good thing.

"You look like someone just slipped you a sherbet lemon," Malfoy commented from beside her and she turned to glare in his direction.

She hadn't even noticed him dropping back to walk beside her.

"No one told me where we were going, that's all," she muttered, digging her hands into the pockets of her coat.

"I don't know either, if that helps," he noted. "I was just told to wear these damn Muggle jean things again."

She couldn't help but crack a smile as she noticed he was wearing the same pair of jeans, but this time with a surprisingly fashionable jacket over his t-shirt. Most wizards had a tendency to wear the most ridiculous Muggle clothes and she found it intriguing that Malfoy of all people managed to dress quite appropriately.

Before she could think of a suitable reply, they heard an excited squeal ahead of them. Both turned their attention towards the sound and found Astoria throwing herself around Harry's neck. Hermione raised her eyebrow questioningly towards Malfoy, but he just shrugged and began moving faster to catch up.

"I've wanted to go to a cinema for so long!" She grinned as Hermione and Malfoy came up to them.

Hermione looked up to the sign on the building they had stopped outside and they were indeed standing right outside a small film theatre. Not the worst that could have happened, but she was still puzzled with the entire situation surrounding this trip to the cinema. Astoria was still chatting happily as she opened the door and the others followed into the entrance hall. Harry moved over to get their tickets, leaving the other two in Hermione's care.

Well, now that she was already here, she would just have to make the best of it. She signalled for the two Slytherins to follow her and she dragged them around until she found the popcorn. Having to stretch a bit, she picked down two large boxes from the shelves and gave one each to Astoria and Malfoy.

"Popcorn," she explained as filled up four cups of pop. "It's mandatory for every cinema goer. And we need drinks cause you'll definitely get thirsty."

She managed to gather four cups of pop over to the counter and signalled for Malfoy and Astoria to follow with the bowls of popcorn. Pulling out her wallet to pay the requested amount, Malfoy began to protest ("I can pay for my own damn things, Granger!") but she waved him off.

"Do you have one of these, Malfoy?" she asked, waving notes of money in the air towards him.

He pursed his lips together in annoyance and she smirked, knowing that he definitely wasn't wearing any Muggle money on him.

"Grab those with you," she ordered, nodding towards two of the cups and she grabbed the other two herself, heading off to find Harry.

He was waiting for them by the doors to the only screening room where a ticket validator was ready to take their tickets and she led the other two towards him, the validator waving them through. Hermione couldn't help but crack a smile when she saw Astoria marvel at the room. It was easy to forget that the most normal Muggle things were entirely new to some of the wizarding population.

When they found their seats, Harry somehow managed to get Malfoy seated between the two of them. This made her uneasiness even stronger. The git was ignoring her. She bent forwards to look past Malfoy and tried to catch Harry's gaze, but he was turning to talk to Astoria. The entire ordeal was starting to make her rather angry and to distract herself she turned to Malfoy who looked abnormally calm for a Malfoy being surrounded by a steadily increasing number of Muggles.

"You seem to be taking this in stride," she commented, leaning back in her seat again.

He shrugged, holding the box of popcorn out to her. She took a handful as the advertisement started running across the screen.

"We've watched films enough times already at Potter's place; this is just on a larger scale," he said, staring fixatedly at a commercial for detergent. "Tory has been really persistent about hearing—and if possible: experiencing—everything about Potter's Muggle upbringing."

"You hang out with them even when you don't have to for the sake of the scheme?" she asked in surprise.

"Sometimes," he answered. "Tory doesn't like leaving me alone, I think. Which is ridiculous, obviously, but I'm not complaining. It beats hanging around the Manor alone."

She nodded in answer, immediately reminded of her conversation with Ron about the Auror visits to Malfoy Manor. About to voice her question, she was cut short by the beginning of the movie. Malfoy seemed immediately lost in it and she turned to the screen to pay attention. She nearly laughed in amusement when she noticed Harry had picked a romantic comedy. Hugh Grant flittered across the screen, walking through the streets of Notting Hill and she looked over at Harry incredulously. She had never seen him so lost in anyone and so willing to put aside his own needs for someone else's. Sure, he would risk life and limb to save someone in trouble, but she was pretty sure he had never let Ginny pick films without having a fight about it first. And she was pretty sure Harry had _never_ seen a film starring Hugh Grant.

She tried to block out thoughts of Harry and keep her eyes on the screen. For quite a while it worked, but she was jerked out of her concentration when Malfoy laughed beside her. Her head whipped towards him as if he'd punched her in the gut and she stared at him oddly. His laugh was deep and rumbling and had an odd ring in her ears. He felt her looking at him and he turned towards her, leaning in.

"The Welsh guy is hilarious," he said simply, grabbing a handful of popcorn.

She stared at him as if he had sprouted tentacles. He was being completely different than he usually was. Especially at the picnic he had been in a sour mood and she had never seen him quite so at ease. It was strange, but intriguing.

"What do you do?"

The words tumbled out of her so fast she didn't even register them until they were out.

"What I do?" he repeated in confusion, keeping his voice at a whisper.

"For a living," she clarified, reaching for a handful of popcorn just to have something to do with her hands.

"I work at Scrivenshaft's in Hogsmeade," he whispered back, confusion apparent in his voice.

"Really?" she asked in surprise, a bit too loudly.

People around her turned and glared for a second before they all turned back and burst out laughing at something on the screen. His laugh caught her off guard again.

"They were the only ones who would hire me and it pays for the food, not that it really concerns you," he said, turning his attention to the movie. "That Welsh guy is pure gold, he is."

She stared towards the screen again, having the distinct feeling that she was dreaming the entire ordeal. It was just too bizarre. To avoid thinking about it too much, she tried to focus on the film. Again, she was distracted and this time it was Harry. He was trying to sneak off to the toilets without her noticing. Oh, he was sorely mistaken.

She leapt up from her seat and climbed over the people on her row, excusing herself over and over until she reached the aisle and sprinted up after Harry. He slipped out the doors of the screening room and she reached it before it fell shut. Taking a few long steps, she caught up with him and clamped her hand down on his shoulder, forcing him to turn.

"What do you think you're doing?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Going to the toilet?" he answered in a questioning tone.

"You know what I mean," she said in exasperation. "First Hyde Park and now this. You and Astoria could have gone to these places alone without meeting anyone who could expose you. There's no reason to drag me along for the sake of the scheme."

"Who says we're using you for the scheme?" Harry asked, not breaking eye contact with her.

Malfoy had said that at the pub weeks ago. She couldn't help but wonder when she had started believing him over her best friend.

"I'm not stupid, Harry," she said, sadness apparent in her voice. "You don't have to lie to me. I'll help you keep your relationship secret from her parents if that's what you want, but this isn't even needed. It's not like Rita Skeeter is huddling down in a random Muggle cinema waiting for a scoop."

He gave a great sigh and his gaze seemed intense under his glasses.

"All right, keeping you around does help keeping the cover, but we like having you around too," he said, looking remorseful. "I don't want you to think we're using you."

"I don't mind being used if it helps you, Harry, but I do mind being kept out of the loop. You've been avoiding me all evening. And I feel like you're hiding something from me."

She couldn't help the hurt from making itself apparent in her voice and her expression. Harry never used to hide anything from her. She had been in on everything, every step of the way and it damn near killed her to realise that he was keeping things from her deliberately.

"I'm sorry if I've avoided you," he muttered, looking slightly ashamed. "I thought you were mad about being dragged here. I really just wanted to surprise Astoria and I didn't tell anyone what I had planned."

She gave a sad smile. Merlin, he was a lousy liar. He was hiding something and she could tell without putting much effort into it. Quite honestly, it hurt her even more than the fact that none of them realised how much of a hard time she had been going through since Ron ended their relationship. Harry and Ron had always been a bit oblivious, but Harry had never outright lied to her like this.

"It's okay, Harry," she said and slipped back inside the theatre, leaving him standing in the hall outside.

It wasn't okay, but what could she do? She had tried to make him tell her the truth and he kept on with the lies. She scrambled to her seat, stepping on a few toes before reaching her seat near the middle and she grabbed a large handful of popcorn from the box Malfoy was holding. This time she kept her eyes on the film and not even Malfoy's laughter managed to distract her. She needed to focus on it to keep her thoughts at bay, and the film was her only escape from them.

She made a conscious effort to not think about anything but what went on up on the screen, and every time her thoughts strayed to Harry and his odd behaviour, she took another mouthful of popcorn and squinted at the screen as if forcing herself to watch it. By the time the credit rolled across it she had a massive headache from her efforts.

As the lights came on she stumbled to her feet and brushed stray popcorn from her lap. She couldn't remember much of the film, despite her efforts to pay attention for the last part of it. Instead, her mind was swirling with confusing thoughts about Harry and Malfoy, mingling into an entwined mess. It was a confusing feeling to not trust Harry anymore. He was hiding something and she couldn't figure out what it was. Inwardly, she cursed Harry for pulling these tricks on her—whatever they were.

And Malfoy was an entire chapter on his own. He confused her with his abrupt change in behaviour. Today he had been nice, even pleasant, as if someone had flicked a switch. It didn't help that the conversation with Ron had piqued her interest, either. She stole a quick glance at him.

"We should go to the zoo next time," Astoria suggested, pulling her coat on. "From what you've told me it seems fantastic."

"It's just animals in cages," Malfoy answered. "What could possibly be interesting about that?"

Hermione buried her hands into the pockets of her coat, stealing glances at Malfoy and Harry alternately, not able to decide which of them was confusing her most at the moment.

"Well, you get to be around the animals, Draco," Astoria said, heading down the hall. "You get to actually see them up-close."

"And there are other things to do as well," Harry interjected.

She wouldn't really have to go with them to the zoo, would she? This whole arrangement was getting complicated enough as it was. They were spending too much time together and it was obviously affecting her ability to think rationally and clearly, and not let her mind be fogged by Malfoys and their ridiculously mysterious persona.

"As long as there's food, I guess you can count me in," Malfoy said, his lips pulling into a crooked smile.

Merlin, she couldn't take this anymore. Her head pounded manically as if to warn her about what she was getting into. When they stood on the street outside, Hermione pulled her coat tighter around herself and cleared her throat.

"I'm heading off," she announced.

Astoria looked disappointed and gazed up at Harry as if asking him how to make Hermione stay.

"We were thinking about going for a drink before heading home," Harry said. "It's still pretty early."

There was nothing she wanted less at the moment than a loud pub and having to carry a decent conversation while her head was terrorising her.

"If you get me drunk, I'll probably speak in a Welsh accent the entire night," Malfoy said, smiling even wider.

She stared at him, wondering if she didn't in fact miss the sour-faced Malfoy a bit. At least she knew where she had him when he was an idiot. This Malfoy was much too difficult to deal with.

"I've got a massive headache," she answered apologetically, running a hand through her hair as it was being ruffled by the wind. "I think I just need an early night."

"Get better, all right?" Astoria said softly, her hand slipping into Harry's.

Hermione nodded absently and bid them goodbye, too exhausted to bother finding a Floo. When she turned around to look after them, Malfoy gave her a tiny wave before he followed Harry and Astoria in the opposite direction. Deep in thought, she headed for the nearest deserted alley and Disapparated on the spot.

* * *

**:)**


	5. Part 5

**Disclaimer:** JK Rowling owns it all!

* * *

Part 5

She had spent the entirety of Saturday encased in a horrible headache that she found herself unable to cure as her stock of potions saved for these occasions had run empty without her noticing. It had probably run out a long time ago and she had forgotten to re-stock it in the midst of something else.

The headache persisted even into Sunday, when she was due at dinner at The Burrow. She wasn't sure who would be there, but she was certain that it definitely would not be quiet. For the first time since having received the invitation, she didn't feel like going at all. She was tired and confused and she had a feeling this visit wouldn't leave her any less confused.

Still, it had been so long since she had seen them all. She missed them—perhaps even more than she missed her relationship with Ron. More than anything she missed being counted as a part of the Weasley family. She had always thought she would end up a Weasley and the thought of that not being the case had kept her from seeing them, but she had missed them dearly.

She sighed heavily and relented. There would be no peace of mind even if she stayed behind, so she decided to use the day to confront her issues. There were enough issues to deal with, apparently. She pulled on a pair of nice robes. It was nothing flashy, but the colour was a deep red that she felt good in. She tried to arrange her hair to her liking and walked out into her hallway and Apparated to the grounds outside The Burrow.

Touching down on the ground again, she appeared right outside the wards of The Burrow and took a deep breath to calm her racing heart. The sight of the house sent so many memories crashing down on her with such force that she could hardly stand it. Still, she forced herself to take long steps up the pathway to the house, trying to still her raging thoughts.

As she reached the door she was left with a dilemma. Would she be expected to knock? She had never knocked and she wasn't even sure if anyone ever had to knock on the door of The Burrow, but for some reason she felt like she should. She felt like a distant family member they invited because they had to and she was pretty sure distant family members invited out of duty had to knock. She reached up and curled her fingers, about to tap her knuckles against the door when it flung open and she was wrapped in a bone-crushing hug by the woman she had always thought would be her mother-in-law.

Hermione wrapped her arms around the other woman in return and tears nearly burned in her eyes at the comfortable warmth the hug seemed to send through her in waves.

"I saw you standing out here looking lost," Mrs Weasley said warmly as she pulled away. "Oh, dear, it's so good to see you again."

She ran a hand over Hermione's curls before resting a hand at her back and pushing her through the door.

"You will not believe how much we have missed you."

Hermione desperately tried to swallow the lump in her throat, but didn't seem to have any success.

"Me too," she managed to croak out as Mrs Weasley led her into the familiar kitchen.

An almost sickening wave of nostalgia washed over her as memories of long summer days and late winter nights in this very kitchen assaulted her mind. She clenched her jaw almost painfully, trying to remain in control of herself. This was absolutely ridiculous. She had to be able to walk into the kitchen, for Merlin's sake.

As she managed to calm herself, she finally noticed that there were people seated around the table smiling warmly at her. She beamed, then, almost delirious to see them. Almost tripping over her own feet in excitement, she scrambled to a seat across from George.

"Hi," she said, a bit breathlessly.

"Hi, Hermione," Mr Weasley greeted warmly. "Excellent to see you again, finally."

"Yeah, it's been a while," she said, smiling sadly.

"Thanks to good old Ronnikins." George grinned at her, but hastily wiped it from his face when his mother turned around with a glare. "It's what I've always been telling Mum, it doesn't matter how many OWLs you get, you can still be a bloody git."

"George, this is not the time or the place," Mrs Weasley said through gritted teeth, but Hermione smiled widely at him.

It was strange how she had grown to appreciate the twins so much more over the years and she didn't know if she had ever been prepared for how much she would miss Fred. It was still strange seeing George sitting alone by the table, a vital piece of him missing—and not just his ear. Though, he still managed to make her feel at ease the moment he stepped into the room.

"Where is Ron anyway?" she said, lifting her head to look down the table. "Oh hey, Charlie! I didn't know you'd be here!"

"Wouldn't miss the return of the missing daughter, would I now?" he said, grinning. "Bill is in France, though, but he told me to say he's sorry he couldn't make it."

"Oh, I hardly expected everyone to drop everything in their hands to see me," Hermione said, laughing.

"Ron is right around the corner," Mrs Weasley commented as she stirred the contents of a cauldron vigorously. "He got held off at work."

"On a Sunday?" Hermione asked, puzzled.

"It's busy times in the department, apparently," Mr Weasley noted. "Many small cases that leave a lot of paper work."

The light conversation continued until Ron came tumbling out through the Floo, a thin layer of dust on the shoulders of his cloak. He looked up, his mouth open in an obvious move to speak, but closed it abruptly when he saw Hermione sitting at the table. He looked away from her hastily and scrambled awkwardly to the table to find a seat.

"Ron, don't sit down to eat with that filthy robe on," his mother chastised. "Where have you been in that?"

"I travel through Floo every day!" he exclaimed defensively, shrugging off her fussing hand.

"There's such a thing as cleaning it once in a while, you know," she huffed, dragging the cloak off him and took the wand from her large pocket to cast cleaning spells on it. "Charlie works with dragons every day and even his clothes look cleaner."

Hermione tried to catch Ron's gaze to share an amused look but it proved impossible. She couldn't deny that his behaviour was hurtful. She could understand that having her there could be awkward, but he was the one who invited her, after all. If he hadn't wanted this, he could've easily avoided it by not inviting her in the first place.

She sat up straighter and decided to not let him ruin her evening. As Mrs Weasley began moving the food onto the table, Hermione turned to Charlie and George, who was exchanging stories from their daily jobs. She was going to have a good time, no matter what was the matter with Ron.

[---]

"What?"

Hermione blinked, too stunned to do anything else. She stared at Harry where he sat in the opposite corner of her couch, his glasses slightly askew. He smiled crookedly at her obvious surprise.

"Astoria wants to throw you a birthday party," he repeated, a hint of his smile still present.

She hadn't even thought about her upcoming birthday. Or rather, she had put off thinking about her upcoming birthday, because she had no idea how to pull off any celebration when Harry and Ron weren't speaking and Ginny was out of town. Even if she had spared it any thought, she wouldn't have opted for a party. She had never been one to throw a huge celebration on her birthday, mostly because she had always surrounded herself with a smaller circle of trusted friends and saw no need to gather a huge crowd. She bit her lip, once again confused and unsure about what to make of the situation.

When she didn't answer, Harry leaned forwards and his expression was serious when he held her gaze.

"Look, she likes you a lot and she's very grateful that you've spent so much time with us," he explained. "She wants to do something for you, and throwing parties is very much her thing. You've got to celebrate somehow anyway, and this way you don't have to worry about it at all."

"I guess," Hermione agreed, but the tone of her voice revealed her uncertainty. "But how is she going to pull this off? People will know that something's going on if she's throwing me a party. Not to mention they'll be suspicious if she's a lone Slytherin at the event. It's bound to get back to her parents somehow."

"Who says she'll be the lone Slytherin?" Harry asked, smiling crookedly.

"Oh, sure, even more Slytherins will attract _less _attention," Hermione said, her voice getting slightly shrill.

It was difficult to admit, but part of her worry was that the more Slytherins Astoria planned to invite, the less of a chance it would be that Ron would come. And for some reason she really needed Ron to be there. When had she ever celebrated a birthday without Ron? Not once since she turned twelve.

"You know she'll be discreet," Harry commented, leaning back against the couch. "She doesn't want any of this news to get back to her parents, so she'll only invite people she trusts or that I trust."

She watched him thoughtfully as he reached one arm behind his head, looking almost a bit too relaxed. Sometimes she had to marvel at how much _lighter_ Harry seemed after finding Astoria. For once he seemed like a normal guy and not someone who carried the weight of the future all on his own. The thought of disappointing this lighter and happier Harry was an unbearable thought. Besides, Ron would—hopefully—put aside his bitterness for her birthday and attend even if Astoria was there.

"All right," she relented, but still felt rather apprehensive. "She can plan me a birthday party."

She tried not to think about what ridiculous plans Astoria would have for her party and hoped to God it wouldn't be something insanely extravagant or something that entailed too much spotlight for her. The thought alone made her wince.

"Don't sound too excited now," Harry joked and reached over to give her a playful punch to the arm.

"Hey, at least I'm coming to the party!" She swatted his arm away and laughed.

"That's the least you can do when it's your birthday party." He shook his head, but his lips turned upwards into a small smile.

She couldn't argue that, but at the moment it felt like the party was more for Astoria than it was for her. It wasn't that she didn't feel grateful for the gesture but she just had a feeling it would turn into something she didn't actually want. Her birthday celebrations had always been low key and she preferred them that way.

"Astoria isn't going to invite a bunch of people you don't want there," Harry said when she didn't answer. "In fact, she's been in contact with Ron about it. She didn't want me to tell you this, but since when have I ever been able to keep secrets from you, anyway?"

He grinned, but it faded quickly as he saw her lack of reaction. Hermione's mind was working furiously. She had contacted Ron?

"When?" she asked, frowning.

"She sent him a letter by owl around midday Sunday," he said, with an almost identical frown. "She told me later in the evening. Why? What's wrong, Hermione?"

Something crumbled inside her, but she wasn't exactly sure what it was. It was painful nevertheless. Ron had been contacted by Astoria when he came to dinner at The Burrow. That had to be why he had been acting so odd and almost refused eye contact at all times. Was he seriously considering blowing her off on her birthday just because of the stupid argument? For some reason she had always assumed that if it came down to it, Ron could come through for her even if it meant that he had to be in the same room with Harry. At least, that's what he _would've_ done. But things weren't the same anymore, so why had she assumed it would be?

"I don't think he's going to come," she said, chewing on her bottom lip in distress.

"Of course he will," Harry said vehemently. "I know he's being an idiot about me and Astoria these days but he's not going to let you down because of that."

Hermione shook her head, tears burning in her eyes. She tried to force them back, feeling entirely stupid to cry in Harry's presence over something like this. Tears leaked from her eyes despite her efforts and she reached up to dry them with a jerky movement of her hand. Harry's hand came to rest on her shoulder rather awkwardly in an attempt to comfort her and she grimaced in apology. She opened her eyes to find his jaw clenched in a hardened expression.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly and managed to keep any more tears from running free.

Harry didn't answer, but kept his heavy hand on her shoulder in an awkward, but calming comfort.

[---]

Ten.

Ten was the amount of times throughout the past week she had been trying to confront Ron. The question had been on the tip of her tongue but she had held back in the last second every time. She didn't know why she found it so difficult to just ask him to come to her party. It was just a simple request and yet she couldn't bring herself to ask.

She stood two cubicles down from his, shifting her weight from one foot to another, trying to find courage previously not within reach. Her birthday was on Tuesday; there were only four days left for her to ask and they probably wouldn't meet during the weekend. She took a deep breath and walked forwards, leaning against the wall of his cubicle.

His desk was cluttered by parchment and odd objects and he sat in the middle of it all, his eyes on a long roll of parchment. Her nerves surfaced with full force but she forced herself to move forwards and slide into the chair opposite him.

"Oh hi," he said after looking up quickly in confusion. "I'm sorry, but I'm really busy. There's been a band of criminals terrorising the north and we're absolutely swamped. I don't even know how –"

"I know Astoria invited you," she blurted, interrupting him mid-speech.

He looked up again, his eyes large and his lips pursing together in a nervous expression. It seemed he had been dreading this conversation.

"It's my birthday," she added, quite unnecessarily, but it was obvious what it implied.

"I know," he said and dropped the parchment onto his desk. He drew a hand through his hair and he looked distressed. "I just can't do it. I don't want to be around them right now."

She couldn't pinpoint the turmoil that was going on in her mind at the moment. It was like this rather insignificant moment was becoming a defining one in their relationship and it flipped everything in her mind upside down.

"Ron, it's going to be several people there. It's not a small gathering. It's a party. You probably won't even have to see them at all if you put some effort into avoiding them. If you don't want to, Harry won't attempt to contact you; I'll make sure of that." She took a deep breath, realising she was rambling and that she was on the verge of begging. "I want you there. It wouldn't be the same without you. You know?"

She looked down on the hands clasped in her lap, feeling partly desperate and partly humiliated to have to beg for their friendship to remain the same. She felt like it was crumbling before her eyes. It was difficult to explain why this moment was so important to her, but it was. It was a moment where she needed Ron to be there with her and he didn't seem give any indication that he was planning to follow through.

When she looked up, he was looking at her with an unreadable expression. She held his gaze as he remained quiet, his eyes only revealing that he was deep in thought.

"I'll think about it," he said finally and picked up the parchment from his desk again. "I'll try."

She nodded and moved from the chair, anger starting to spread through her chest at his refusal to accept the invitation.

"Don't punish me for what you and Harry are going through, okay?" she said, her voiced laced with the anger she felt. "Be there."

Heading out of his cubicle, she didn't look back.

* * *

**A/N:** So, this is a rather short, but necessary, chapter. The next one will be much longer, though.

Thanks for all your feedback so far!


	6. Part 6

**Disclaimer:** I found these characters on JK Rowling's shelf and may have borrowed them for a little bit.

* * *

**Part 6**

She saw no point in letting Ron know that she took Tuesday off work to spend the day at her parents' house. He had only rushed in for a quick lunch on Monday where he avoided the topic of her birthday party with great determination. If he was actually that busy with work or just not sure he could keep off the subject for much longer, she didn't actually know. Either way, she hadn't seen any point in letting him know that she wasn't at work on her birthday. If he wanted to wish her a good one, he could join her party like everyone else was going to do.

As Harry came to take her to the location that Astoria had refused to reveal (the Slytherin girl insisted on acting like it was a surprise party even if it wasn't), she only hoped that her absence from lunch that day had prompted him to come to the party to see her.

"I'm ready," she told Harry, brushing her hand over the delicate fabric of her tight fitted dress robes in royal blue.

He grinned and asked her to take his hand for Side-Along Apparition. When they reappeared, she found herself standing outside the door to his flat. She gave an incredulous laugh.

"All this secrecy and it was your flat all along?" She exclaimed, amused.

She had tried to get information from Astoria all week to no avail and Harry had kept watching them with amusement, shaking his head. Malfoy had told them multiple times to shut the hell up about it, but she had just punched him in the side and kept going. She had to admit all the secrecy Astoria insisted on had made her more intrigued about the entire ordeal. To her annoyance, Astoria knew exactly what she was doing when she wouldn't let Hermione know any of the details. Hermione was never as interested in anything as she was when she had yet to figure out the details.

Harry pushed the door open and revealed his flat nearly unrecognisable. Astoria had shrunk and moved most of the furniture away, leaving a lot of floor space. Several tables were pushed to the walls, holding light snack food and beverages. The crowd was talking in a low buzz among themselves. Hermione smiled as she realised they were oblivious to her arrival. She almost broke out laughing when Harry coughed and everyone abruptly shut up as if caught in a forbidden act.

"Surprise!" some yelled and others followed a second too late.

"Except, not really," Astoria added, laughing merrily.

Hermione shook her head in amusement and stepped up to them, feeling oddly giddy for someone who hadn't even wanted a party in the first place.

"Your gifts are on the table over there," Astoria told her, gesturing towards a table in the far corner. "Happy birthday!"

"This is way too much, guys; you didn't have to bring me gifts," Hermione said, shaking her head. "But I'm very glad you came."

"It's your birthday, of course we came," Neville sad, patting her awkwardly on the shoulder almost in the same way Harry always did.

The words made her stomach lurch and she looked around the small crowd, seeing many familiar faces. Many of her fellow Gryffindors were there, as well as people from her department at work. She grinned and headed over to Lavender and Parvati as the crowd began breaking up into smaller groups and some headed over to the refreshments. Lavender launched right into a story, gesturing madly to emphasis her point. Hermione smiled and added the appropriate 'hm's and 'ah's in suitable places but only half listened.

She kept one eye and ear on Harry as he walked up to Astoria. He leaned in and Hermione turned her entire attention to him to catch what he was saying.

"He's not here, is he?" he said in a hushed voice.

She saw Astoria shake her head with a grimace.

"I've sent him three letters but he hasn't acknowledged them at all," she answered. "Well, as long as she doesn't know he's been contacted, we can just say we didn't want to invite him."

Harry's gaze fell to the floor and Astoria groaned in despair.

"Harry, you didn't!" she exclaimed, glaring at him in exasperation. "This is exactly why I told you not to say anything."

He shuffled a bit on the spot and shrugged apologetically, muttering something Hermione couldn't catch.

"Let's just not make a fuss about it," Astoria concluded. "Maybe she'll forget he's not here."

Astoria could hope but it wasn't very likely. She was already keenly aware that he hadn't answered her plea to be there. The remainder of whatever it was seemed to crumble inside her, falling to a dusty pile of shattered remains. She returned her attention to Lavender who didn't seem to have noticed her lack of focus. Lavender now laughed, so Hermione joined in, feeling oddly lightened by laughing even if she had no idea what she was laughing at.

She felt an arm around her shoulders and turned to find George grinning at her. He led her off from Lavender and Parvati, his arm slung around her shoulder.

"Happy birthday," he exclaimed in a sing-song voice. "I think you'll like my gift. I've taken the Patented Daydream Charm one step further for the more...ah...adult of us."

Hermione coloured slightly, but laughed as he waggled his eyebrows at her. She couldn't quite describe how happy she was to see him there and she wouldn't dream of actually telling him. Instead, she wrapped her hand around his waist as he led her to a table of refreshments.

"Don't let it get to you that he's not here," George suddenly said, handing her a brightly coloured drink. "You know how he is. He's just too stubborn to see what's good for him. It doesn't have anything to do with you, even if you end up the victim."

She nodded, but couldn't quite convince herself that he was right.

"If it helps, we all think he's a git," George continued, moving her glass up to meet hers. "Cheers."

Hermione laughed heartily, sipping to the sweet drink coloured bright orange and yellow.

"Thank you, George," she said genuinely, reaching up to hug him on impulse.

He patted her awkwardly on the back with his free hand. What was it with guys and emotions, really?

"And now, I believe good old Harry has invited plenty of single witches," he proclaimed as she let him go. "If you will excuse me..."

She looked after him when he disappeared into the crowd and she smiled with affection. Several others came up to her to wish her a happy birthday as she stood by the table, nipping to her drink. She was slightly overwhelmed that Astoria had gotten so many to come for her birthday of all things, but still felt the nagging feeling of disappointment in her stomach.

Someone put on music and the chatter rose in volume. Feeling the need to hear herself think, she made her way through the crowd and slipped out onto the balcony of Harry's flat. She closed the glass door behind her and stepped over to the railing, leaning onto it as she looked out over the neighbourhood. The balcony wasn't very large, but it was dark and it was impossible for anyone on the inside to see anyone standing there unless they pushed their nose against the glass. The air was chilly but not unbearably so. Her dress robes kept her warm for the most part. Hermione sipped at her drink as she looked into the dark September evening. Her thoughts were too confusing to sort out but that didn't stop her from trying.

After a moment she heard the door to the balcony slam shut. She sighed, not wanting any company in her pathetic and confused state of mind. She didn't turn around, expecting whoever it was to ask her to come back inside to join them again. Instead, the person stepped up beside her and leaned onto the railing next to her. He clutched a bottle of Butterbeer in one hand and a rectangular box under the other. Despite herself, she glanced over at him, wondering how she had missed seeing the very blond head inside.

"I didn't know you were here," she admitted, leaning her weight onto her right elbow resting on the railing and turned to face him.

He remained standing hunched over the railing, staring out into the dark.

"I'm good at being on the down low," he answered without looking at her.

"So you've been here all along?" she asked in surprise, not managing to keep the incredulity from showing in her expression.

"Most definitely." He took brought the bottle to his lips. "Tory dragged me up here hours ago to move furniture and do other plebeian servant tasks."

She arched an eyebrow at that and couldn't keep from smirking.

"I thought you didn't do servant's work," she teased, sipping at the much too sweet drink.

He shrugged, but she saw a tiny smile flicker across his lips.

"Even I have to lower my standards at times."

She rolled her eyes but couldn't hide her amusement. He fell quiet again as he brought the bottle up for mouthful and she watched him, a strange feeling spreading her stomach. Malfoy was at her birthday party and he had apparently helped organise it too. Even if he did do it on Astoria's orders, it didn't change the fact that he had done it. He had been in there, mingling with her old Gryffindor friends and her co-workers as the Department of Magical Creatures—a department he had little to no respect for. She eyed him oddly as she considered this. Malfoy was at her party, conversing with people he didn't like. Ron was somewhere else entirely, just because there were one or two people at the party he wasn't on speaking terms with. The thought made her entire perception of the world shift out of focus.

"So, why are you out here? I saw you leave and followed," he explained, looking at her out of the corner of his eye. "Party not entertaining enough for you?"

"Oh, the party is lovely," she assured him quickly. "It's just..."

She trailed off and made a small gesture with the hand that held her drink. Some of the brightly coloured liquid jumped out of the glass and fell to the streets below.

"The redhead oaf isn't here," he finished for her.

"The redhead oaf isn't here," she confirmed, feeling stupid the moment she said it.

Why was it even such a big deal? Okay, so her best friend couldn't put aside his differences with other people to attend her birthday, but that should at worst make her furious with him, not like..._this_.

"And you want the one you're in love with to be here on your birthday," he concluded.

She felt a drop of rain on her forehead. What he said would have been true some months ago but was it now? For some reason, that wasn't why she was upset. She frowned, feeling another drop of rain on her head.

"I think... I think I'm just finally realising it's _really_ over, you know?" she said and the moment the words were out she knew it was true. "I'm not upset because he's not here to hold my hand, I think I'm mourning the end of our relationship instead of hoping he's going to change his mind and come back."

He didn't answer. Apparently she had caught him off guard as well as herself. It was like the truth had come to her in a moment of clarity and finally, so many of her feelings made sense. She wasn't sad because he hadn't come to the party, but because the fact that he hadn't come was the final evidence that they were really, truly over and he would never come back and say he had made a horrible mistake all along.

She realised that what she had condemned Malfoy for doing all along was the exact same as she had been doing. The only difference was that he had made a detailed plan to make Astoria realise he was the one who would be there for her. She too had wanted Ron to realise that she was the one he really needed and that's why she hadn't tried to tie up the loose ends. That was why she hadn't told him she wasn't over him yet and needed time to herself, because that would mean it would be too late for him to change his mind and she wasn't ready to be over him yet.

The realisation was startling. All along she had thought Malfoy had bigger issues than she did and all the while, she had been just as bad. Strangely, the realisation was also a bit relieving. It was like a haze she didn't know she had been in cleared and she could see a landscape she hadn't even known was there.

"Happy birthday," he said after long moments of silence.

She turned towards him, leaning onto her elbow on the railing and watched as he turned and held out the rectangular box.

"I wanted to give you this in person." He gave a little shrug. "Gift tables are very impersonal."

She took it hesitantly, looking at him with an enquiring gaze. She had never expected him to come to the party, let alone bring a present. Reaching out, she put her half-finished drink on the railing behind her and returned her attention to the gift. It was black with a small red bow but gave no evidence of what it was or where it was from.

She opened the lid and peeled a bit of paper aside to find a large stack of thick, luxurious parchment. Each parchment had an official looking seal on it with her name and official Ministry title in the middle. Gobsmacked, she stared at it. It was so perfect, since she desperately needed something like this for official correspondence. The rain was starting to fall more steadily now and she closed the lid quickly as to not damage the parchment.

"Wow, I... it's perfect," she admitted, a smile playing on her lips. "I don't know what to say. Thank you."

If he knew how happy this made her, he would be mortified. In fact, she was a bit terrified by exactly how grateful she was. The feeling of delight that was spreading through her chest was unnerving, to say the least.

He shrugged again, looking uncomfortable.

"Well, you know. I work at Scrivenshaft's, so I got them reasonably cheap."

She didn't care that he'd gotten them cheap and if he thought that lessened the gesture, he was sorely mistaken. He had obviously put some time into the design as well as finding out her official title. She hugged the box to her stomach with both of her arms as the sky now seemed to open and it poured down over them on the balcony.

"Thank you," she repeated, not letting him get away with trying to downplay the gesture he had just made.

He fidgeted at her second show of gratitude as rain made his hair stick to his forehead and drops of rain ran down his cheeks. He blinked to avoid getting one of them in the eye but seemed otherwise unperturbed by the violent shower.

"Well... you're welcome, even if it wasn't much," he said, shrugging for what must be the hundredth time that night.

Her curls were heavy with rain and her face cold and moist from the wet drops running down her skin, but she found it hard to care. She had been gripped by a sudden feeling in her gut that hit her out of what seemed like thin air. Her eyes didn't move from his face, wet from rain and oddly vulnerable in the very dim lighting from the glass doors. Something stirred in her chest and before she could stop herself she reached forwards, tilted her head upwards and pressed her lips to his.

His lips were hot on hers and the kiss was laced with the taste of Butterbeer. In the first, miniscule moment he was unresponsive, but then seemed to respond on instinct. When his lips moved slowly across her in answer to her caress she shivered from head to toe, clutching the box with the parchment to her stomach as if holding onto a lifeline. She tilted her head to the side, the rain still running down the sides of her face as their lips moulded together. Goosebumps were starting to form on her skin, the hair at the nape of her neck stood on end and the box she was holding onto for dear life was the only thing that kept her from fisting her hands into his robe.

At this point she didn't know who was doing what, all she knew was that their lips were meeting in such a frenzied touch that she could feel it deep in her gut. She was trapped in a haze of bliss that enveloped her and urged her on, seeking more and more pleasure from his lips. It only hit her what she was actually doing when the tip of her tongue softly touched his, the sensation hitting her like a well-aimed curse to the stomach. She didn't know how it had gotten that far, but she surfaced from the all-consuming haze and broke the kiss abruptly.

She stared up at him wide-eyed, her mind trying to catch up on the turn of events. Images of herself reaching up to press her lips to his surfaced in her mind and she stared at him, her mouth falling open in shock. He didn't look any less surprised and wasn't even conscious enough to break the eye contact, as he undoubtedly would have if he had been in his right mind at the moment. They just stared at each other, her thoughts running around in her mind with surprising speed.

Rain trickled down her neck and snuck under her robe. The uncomfortable feeling jerked her out of her state of shock and she gave a small yelp before she darted towards the door. She pushed the glass doors open and slipped inside; breathing so heavily she thought her heart was going to jump out of her chest.

She looked around at the guests of the party, certain that they could tell what she had been doing. Nervously, she darted among dancing guests and slipped his present onto the gift table with shaking hands. Just as she put it down, Astoria appeared by her side.

"Where have you been?" she asked, eyeing her wet hair, now several inches longer as it wasn't curling up as wildly anymore. "You're soaked."

Hermione took a deep breath and pushed a limp, wet curl out of her eye.

"I went out on the balcony for some fresh air and I got caught in the rain," she said, not entirely lying. "It's pouring down out there."

Astoria got out her wand and cast a quick drying spell on her, leaving her clothes, hair and skin comfortably dry. Still, the chills down her spine wouldn't stop and her heart was beating at unearthly speed.

"I've been looking all over for you. We have a surprise for you," Astoria announced, a proud smile on her face.

Oh dear Merlin. No more surprises. She had had quite enough surprises for one evening.

"Well, if Harry's managed to keep his mouth shut about this one," Astoria muttered and put her hand at the small of Hermione's back.

Hermione was pushed into the middle of the room and felt everyone's eyes on her. The experience was less than comfortable. She was the focus of attention and she felt as if the freckles on her face spelled 'I kissed Draco Malfoy' for everyone to see. Swallowing nervously, she wanted nothing more than to disappear into the shadows. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Malfoy slip inside, drying himself quickly and slipping into the crowd. Everyone else was occupied looking in her direction and talking among themselves, so she had to admit his timing was impeccable.

The clock struck nine and the flames of the Floo roared green. Hermione hadn't even noticed she was facing the fireplace until the green flames captured her attention and turned her thoughts away from what had happened on the balcony only moments ago. She stared at the flames, biting her lip in anticipation of whatever it was Astoria and Harry had pulled off. When she saw a whirl of red hair in the flames, her mouth fell open unattractively and she remained staring in disbelief.

"Ginny!" she exclaimed, her lips pulling up into a grin that spread from ear to ear.

The redhead came bouncing out of the fireplace and threw herself around Hermione's neck.

"Happy birthday!" she cried unnecessarily loud as her mouth was inches from Hermione's ear.

She hugged Ginny tightly and couldn't help the giddy laugh that fell from her lips.

"I can't believe you're here," Hermione said, a suspicious lump forming in her throat.

"When Astoria sent me a letter saying she was preparing a party, I knew I had to be here to see you." Ginny said, releasing Hermione from her tight grip.

Ginny turned and embraced Harry, whispering something in his ear that no one else could hear. Watching this embrace, Hermione had to think about Ron and the grudge he still held. It was obvious that Ginny was in a good place now, after doing what was right for her. Hermione's observation was proven again when Ginny released Harry and turned to Astoria and introduced herself, smiling widely all the while with no sign of malice or envy.

Hermione wished Ron could have witnessed it. Had he been here, maybe there'd be some way to convince him how much better Ginny was doing and that what had happened between her and Harry was a natural thing that happened between many couples. Hermione had finally reached that conclusion about the end of their own relationship and she felt oddly at peace with the fact that they were over. Her thoughts strayed to the moment on the balcony, where she had finally realised that she just hadn't been prepared to let go. Ending a relationship was painful, but it was undoubtedly better than trying to keep an illusion of something that just wasn't there.

When her thoughts began replaying what followed after her revelation, her cheeks flushed and she immediately tried to block them out. It didn't work particularly well. It played out like a movie in her head, Malfoy's face so close she could see the drops of rain on his eyelashes.

She was ripped out of her thoughts when a loud growl was heard. Looking around in confusion, she suddenly saw George charging towards his sister. Hermione laughed heartily—relieved to have something else to focus on—when George picked Ginny up into bone-crushing hug to rival one of their mother's.

"George!" Ginny laughed as she was picked up from the floor. "George, put me down!"

When Ginny was returned safely to the ground, she hugged her brother and grinned happily.

"Where's Ron?" she asked, moving out of George's hands to look around the crowd.

Everyone who had been following the reunion immediately got very busy with something else. Within seconds everyone were either getting new drinks or immersed in another conversation. Ginny looked confused and turned to look at Hermione and Harry in turn.

Hermione sighed and realised there was no way around it, even if this wasn't the best time or place. It was certainly not how she had planned to talk to Ginny about it.

"Come on, I'll tell you," Hermione said and signalled for Ginny to follow her out of the living room.

She headed into the kitchen, which was separated enough from the living room to avoid too many prying eyes or long ears. She sat down on one end of the kitchen table, propping her elbow up on the table to support her head against her hand. Ginny looked at her with eyebrows raised as she sat down opposite her. It was more difficult than Hermione had imagined it being. She thought it would be easier since the break up was so long ago and no longer fresh, but on the contrary it was more difficult. So much had happened during the past months and especially in the last few weeks.

Hermione sat up straighter and folded her hands on the table in front of her.

"Ron and I broke up," she started and was about to continue when Ginny let out a sound of horror.

"What? When? Are you okay?"

Ginny's eyes were large as she stared at Hermione, quite obviously distressed on Hermione's behalf and perhaps her own as well.

"It's fine," Hermione assured her. "It was right after you left. It's nothing new."

It was easy to see the changes in Ginny's feelings, as her features seemed to harden in anger. Hermione groaned inwardly and cursed Ron for not having done this conversation sooner.

"You left and needed time for yourself. Neither of us wanted to tell you by letter and especially not as we know you would have come home immediately," Hermione explained quickly. "I wanted to talk to you. You have no idea how much I wanted to, but the hurt I felt at Ron ending the relationship put gave me a good insight to what you were probably feeling at the time too, and it made me sure that you needed that time for yourself."

Ginny's jaw clenched but she gave a tiny nod. The message was clear. The subject was dead for now, but they definitely weren't off the hook.

"If the break up isn't new, that doesn't explain why he's not here, though," Ginny said, giving Hermione a scrutinising look. "Are you still arguing?"

"No, Ron and I are fine," Hermione assured her. "We never really argued. His feelings for me just died somewhere along the way, and he wanted out. It took me a while to get over, but we remained friends. The reason he's not here is Harry."

Ginny couldn't hide her surprise at all. Her jaw slackened and she stared at Hermione incredulously.

"Harry? What's Harry got to do with anything?"

"He's angry with Harry for your relationship ending and blames him for you leaving."

Hermione didn't know exactly how to explain everything that had been going on. Ron wasn't very talkative about it and she was pretty sure she didn't know the whole story.

"And, you know, in addition to you leaving, Harry found Astoria not too long after everything. It was too much for Ron, I suppose."

Ginny was shaking her head, her eyebrows forming a deep frown on her forehead.

"So they're arguing still, after all this time?"

"Not really," Hermione said, grimacing. "They haven't even seen each other since they had a horrible argument about everything right after Astoria came into the picture. Ron won't speak to Harry and Harry refuses to beg for Ron's attention. Harry's very angry too, even if he doesn't talk about it much. I suppose he feels Ron should support him in his decisions."

Hermione gave a tiny, exasperated smile.

"You know how those two are. Neither will budge and I've tried to get both of them to see the other one's side several times, but they refuse to listen. Honestly, I see why both of them are upset, but they're obviously taking it much too far."

Ginny was still shaking her head, looking gobsmacked.

"I had no idea I left behind such a chaos," she said. "I've known about Astoria for ages. Harry sent me a letter immediately after they met and I've been okay with it for quite a while. Obviously, it hurt in the beginning, but I appreciated him telling me and I eventually got over it and him. If I'd known Ron was throwing a fit over it, I would've talked to him a long time ago."

"No one blames you for any of this," Hermione assured her. "Ron and Harry have to take the responsibility for this stupid argument themselves. I'm at my wit's end about how to get them to see reason, though."

Ginny leaned back in the chair and sighed, drawing a hand over her face.

"I'm going to go talk to Ron," she concluded and rose from the chair. "I can't believe he blew you off on your birthday over this idiotic argument."

"Me neither, to be honest."

Following Ginny's lead, Hermione got up from her seat and headed towards the living room again.

"Please stay for a while first?"

Ginny nodded and grinned as she headed towards a group of people dancing in the middle of the floor.

"Definitely. Ron the sour-face can wait."

* * *

**A/N: **

While it certainly may seem so, it was never my intention to make Ron be a jerk. First of all, he didn't know that Hermione still had feelings for him (as we can see, she doesn't really anymore) so he didn't realise how large the consequences would be. And in reality, he ended up helping her by not showing up. And also, it must be said, that I think Ron was not entirely selfish in his choice. I think he also realised that him showing up there could just as easily ruin the party and make things tense and not enjoyable for anyone. Hermione might have optimistically thought that this wasn't the case, but I think it definitely would have been a rather tense experience.

But yes! This was a long and very important part of the fic. In fact, there are only two parts left to be posted now.

Thanks for all your feedback! :D

PS: I must also say that one of you was impressively accurate in your theories!


	7. Part 7

**Disclaimer: **Did you know that Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling? I do!

* * *

**Part 7**

Hermione had no idea what transpired when Ginny headed off to talk to Ron. She had come back almost two hours later, but only shook her head when Hermione tried to ask what they'd talked about. She decided to stay for a while before heading off again, though, and moved in on the couch in Hermione's flat.

During the rest of the work week, Hermione tried to finish her workload as quickly as possible so she could leave home and spend time with Ginny in the afternoon. She continued having lunches with Ron, but none of them mentioned her birthday with a single word. It was still apparent to the both of them that something was different, but it surprisingly seemed to be more of a positive change. Hermione noticed how much more at ease she felt around Ron. There were no stubborn butterflies in her stomach and no hope clinging to some corner of her mind that he would lean over the table and kiss her senseless. In fact, if he had, she would have probably thrown him across the table. She was, quite frankly, over him and the feeling was almost daunting. She couldn't even remember the last time she had only amiable feelings for Ron.

When Friday came Hermione had forgotten about the invitations she always got at the end of the week. She didn't remember until she was standing with the invitation in her hand and had Prue rubbing against her hand while cooing gently. Hermione looked over to where Ginny sat on the couch as she reached over for a parchment to write her answer on.

"Hey, it's Prue," Ginny noted when she looked up from the TV show they'd been watching.

She got up from the couch and came over to run her hand over the feathers of the spotted owl.

"What did Harry want?" she asked, looking over Hermione's shoulder.

"Invited me to a Quidditch game." Hermione looked up from the parchment she was writing on. "Since Ron hasn't been around, I've felt like I need to be there for him, you know?"

It had been like that first, at least. She had accepted all their invitations because it was Harry and he needed her, in addition to the fact that she had promised Astoria. But lately, she hadn't felt obligated in the same way. She had cancelled when she didn't want to, but when she did accept she genuinely wanted to be there.

"That's very nice of you," Ginny said, smiling. "He needs that."

"To be honest, I like spending time with them," she admitted, her quill hovering over the parchment. "I didn't so much at first. It was awkward and Malfoy was there, but oddly enough I kind of enjoy it now. It's an odd group but it works."

Ginny shook her head and smiled.

"It sounds strange, but I'll take your word for it."

Hermione laughed and found it best not to mention anything more about Malfoy. She didn't want to reveal how many thoughts she had spared him for various reasons throughout the past month or so.

"So, when are we going?" Ginny asked and fell thoughtful. "I'll probably need to change."

Hermione stopped writing and looked up in confusion.

"Going?"

"Well, Harry wouldn't mind me coming along. He probably would have invited me too if he knew I was still here."

"I just didn't think you'd want to," Hermione admitted, looking at her thoughtfully.

"Harry isn't going to drop out of my life. He'll be around a lot," she replied with a slightly amused smile. "Well, once Ron and Harry make peace, anyway. Whether or not he's serious with Astoria, he and I are still over and that's how it'll be from now on. Might as well get used to it."

She was right, obviously. There was no point in holding grudges or clinging to false hope, and the easiest was probably to accept that your ex boyfriend was in a new relationship.

"All right, I'll send him a letter letting him know we're coming," she agreed, jotting down a quick reply to send off with Prue.

She hadn't thought Ginny would want to go and now she was faced with a situation she hadn't anticipated already. He'd be there and she would have to see him again. Were they expected to talk about it? Or were they supposed to ignore it and pretend like nothing at all had ever happened? She didn't know if she could do that. It wasn't every day Hermione kissed a Malfoy. It wasn't an occasion to ignore.

There was still an hour left until they were meeting the others and they killed time by watching TV and having a quick snack before leaving. Ginny changed while Hermione flittered nervously around the flat, dusting bookshelves that were already dust-free. Soon, they headed off towards the Leaky Cauldron, which was once again the initial meeting point.

They Flooed in and made their way between the tables to find the other three waiting by the bar. The chatter was loud, so Harry signalled for all of them to follow him. They trailed after him, forming a line that walked out to the wizaring entrance to the Leaky Cauldron. Harry stopped right outside the brick wall entrance to Diagon Alley.

"We're travelling by Portkey," he announced once they were all outside. "Gather around, it activates in thirty seconds."

They all stepped forwards to grab a hold of the object Harry had gotten out of his pocket, forming a ring around the Portkey. Hermione looked up to find Malfoy standing right opposite her. This was the first time she'd seen him since the kiss that had seemed to turn everything upside down. Even as she looked at him right now, all she could see was the image of his face, wet with rain and inches from hers. She gave a small, nervous smile. He didn't return it and she frowned, certain that she was definitely being ignored. Her musings were interrupted by a familiar tug below her navel and she closed her eyes at the uncomfortable feeling.

Familiar as they all were with Portkey travels by now, they landed safely on their feet in the correct spot and found themselves outside the Quidditch stadium.

"I still prefer brooms," Harry muttered under his breath and tucked the Portkey back into his pocket.

Hermione and Ginny laughed as they followed him towards the entrance of the stadium.

"You don't think Ron will be here, do you?" Ginny asked to no one in particular.

It was the home stadium of the Chudley Canons, so the possibility was definitely there. Hermione couldn't remember the last time he had actually been to a live match, though.

"I doubt it," she answered as she just managed to dodge a kid that came running out of the entrance to the stadium.

"If I was a fan of this ridiculous team, I wouldn't be showing my face at the match either," Malfoy noted from behind them.

Hermione turned to glare at him at the same time as Ginny gave a trilling laugh. She never did understand her brother's fascination with the team either.

"Not everyone can cheer for the winning team, Malfoy."

"Malfoys always cheer for the winners," he replied back.

Hermione raised an eyebrow in response but said nothing. That may have been the most ridiculous statement Malfoy had ever uttered, considering the outcome of the war. Although, she supposed they thought they had been cheering for the winners for quite a while.

"We're up here," Harry said from up front, pointing up a steep staircase.

They climbed upwards, the staircase looking suspiciously old and worn out, but seemed to hold all the people heading up to their seats without problems. Hermione was keenly aware that she had Malfoy behind her as she walked up the steps. She felt suddenly self-conscious, which wasn't really that odd considering they had kissed and were now pretending it never happened.

He seemed different today, somehow. The more easy-going Malfoy from the past couple of weeks seemed to be gone and the Malfoy she had seen at the picnic had surfaced again. She couldn't help but wonder what had brought about the change.

They came up into the stands and found themselves high up in the stadium in rather mediocre seats, or so Harry claimed, anyway. To Hermione, the seats seemed perfectly fine, and she couldn't quite see the point of paying a ridiculous amount of Galleons for the so-called better ones.

"Oh, they're playing the Holyhead Harpies!" Ginny exclaimed. "I wanted to try out for their team when I was in Hogwarts."

"I think they could need you," Astoria said as she took her seat next to Harry. "Their Chasers have been abysmal this season and rumours say that they're looking to get rid of them as soon as they have replacements."

"I haven't played Quidditch in ages." Ginny looked out onto the pitch rather wistfully. "Though, if I got the chance, I'd gladly take it."

"This isn't like the Hogwarts house teams, you know," Malfoy said in a sour tone. "It's professional Quidditch. Mediocre Chaser skills won't cut it."

Ginny arched a pale eyebrow, about to open her mouth to retort as Harry and Astoria stared at Malfoy in surprise. The redhead didn't get a word in as Hermione had whipped her head towards Malfoy and jabbed her finger into his side.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she asked loudly. "You've been a right git all day."

People around them laughed and Malfoy coloured at the reprimand.

"Shut up, you stupid hag," he growled through gritted teeth and Hermione jumped to her feet.

A month ago or so she would have accepted Malfoy acting like an idiot, because she was certain that's exactly what he was, and there was not point trying to change the course of nature. Now, though, she knew this was about something else entirely and she wasn't about to let it go.

"Up," she commanded, but he remained seated.

She narrowed her eyes at him and lowered her voice into the tone all of her friends and co-workers knew meant trouble.

"Get your arse off the seat," she said in a low voice.

She climbed past him and headed towards the stairs they had climbed not too long ago. Leaning against the wall by the entrance, she saw him follow her and smiled in satisfaction to herself. She knew he would follow her eventually, after he waited long enough to feel like he had made the decision on his own and not been commanded by her.

"What's got your knickers in a bunch," he muttered as he stopped beside her.

"Funny, I was about to ask you the same thing." She had her hands crossed over her chest, but she unfolded them and signalled for him to follow her down the stairs.

She headed down a hallway when she reached the bottom of the stairs and tried a couple of doors. All of them were unresponsive to her unlocking charms, except the last one. The door creaked open and she dragged Malfoy in with her, closing the door behind them. It was pitch-dark and she stumbled a bit as she moved inside. She heard a mutter from somewhere else in the room and within seconds Malfoy's wand was lighting up the room.

Hermione had dragged them into a storage room of sorts. There was training equipment and broken brooms that all lay on a shelf named 'repair'. She turned around and found a table behind her, littered with Keeper gloves and broken Bludgers. Hoisting herself up on it, she sat on the middle of the table, her feet dangling off the edge.

She burned to discuss the kiss they had shared, but it would have to wait. Whatever was bothering him now was more important to get to the bottom of.

"I know something is wrong," she said, looking straight at him. "You haven't acted like this in weeks and it's obvious that something is up. So spill."

He looked at her incredulously and gave a hollow laugh.

"Why on earth should I tell you?"

Because you kissed me? No?

"Who else are you going to tell?" she asked, arching an eyebrow challengingly. "Harry?"

He rolled his eyes and leaned back against the shelf, looking down onto the floor, his hair falling into his eyes.

"You and Harry having a man to man talk about how you've been trying to steal Astoria from under his nose. That'll go over well."

His head jerked up and he sneered at her.

"What the hell is your problem?" he barked.

"Hey, if you're going to be an arse I'm going to be an arse back," she said, shrugging and throwing her hands out for emphasis. "Just tell me what's going on."

She wasn't intimidated by him in the least anymore. He was all words and she knew his behaviour was a symptom of something else entirely. She had seen him when he wasn't like this at all, and recognised the walls he put up around him.

"I told you about Ron," she said in a quiet, but firm voice.

He met her gaze and she was certain that both of their thoughts had moved to the same part of that evening. And that part had nothing to do with Ron at all. Finally, he sighed and looked away again, drawing a hand through his hair in exasperation.

"What do you want to know?"

"You've been in a perfectly fine mood the past few weeks," she noted and was about to ask why it had changed so abruptly when he snorted.

"Of course I've been. That's when I was under the illusion that my bloody plan was working," he exclaimed and his jaw clenched in a stony expression.

She grimaced. Perhaps she really should have enlightened him sooner about the flaws in his plan.

"Tory had been ranting to me about Harry. Some of the things he did seemed to be getting on her nerves and I figured that this was it. I had gotten what I had planned all along."

He shrugged and didn't look up to meet her gaze. She was sure he felt her eyes on him, though. When he didn't say anything else, she sighed.

"Being annoyed with your partner is a pretty normal part of a relationship," she said hesitantly and she saw him grimace.

"How should I know? I've never been in one."

That was a valid point, indeed.

"Astoria and Harry are going strong. If you're waiting for them to fail, I'm afraid you'll be waiting for a while," she said earnestly.

"Don't you think that's exactly what I've figured out?" he asked, anger lacing his voice. "Astoria is telling her parents."

Hermione looked at him in surprise.

"Oh."

It was quite possibly the lamest response she could've come up with, but it was the only thing that was willing to come out of her mouth. At least that explained his foul mood. If Astoria was telling her parents, that meant there was really no hope left in the idea that they were meant to marry. At least not unless her parents forced her to, but that was hardly something he'd thrive for.

"No one gets it," he muttered, throwing his head back against the shelves. "I lost everything in the war. My father is in Azkaban, my reputation is dirt and I'm lucky to have a job at all. My name means nothing anymore. Some might say I deserve it, but it's all I've ever known. The only thing I still had were the plans my parents had for me to marry a pureblood."

"It doesn't sound like you wanted Astoria for _her_," Hermione noted after a moment of silence. "Don't you think she deserves to be with someone who loves her?"

"I love her," he retorted, stumbling slightly over the word 'love'.

"Romantically?" she asked then, but already knew the answer.

"No," he admitted. "I do...did...have feelings for her, because I've been prepared to be with her for so long, but I...I guess I don't love her romantically. I never needed to. It wasn't a requirement."

"Maybe it was a requirement for Astoria."

Hermione gave a slight smile. She could appreciate that he was lost and didn't know what to do when everything he knew had been ripped out from under his feet. He gave a wry smile in return.

"Seems it probably was," he admitted.

He no longer looked angry, just defeated and confused. A feeling of sadness for him came over her as she watched him looking lost.

"What do I do now?" He asked and looked at her then, probably for the first time since they had entered the storage room.

She held her breath. Not once since she had known him had he asked her a genuine question about anything. If she stood completely still she could almost feel the world shifting on its axis. Looking over at him, she met his hesitant gaze and a strange feeling spread in her chest.

"Start over," she replied, smiling. "It's not as bad as it seems."

[---]

"What's the score?" Hermione asked when they found their seats again.

"40 – 10 to the Harpies," Ginny answered, her eyes on the game. "Though, the Chasers really haven't been that good."

"Of course, you rarely have to be that good against the Canons," Harry muttered, looking exasperated. "It's like they're not even trying."

"They do have one goal, though," Hermione commented. "They can't have been entirely out of it."

"Keeper miss," Ginny, Harry and Astoria said in unison.

"Oh..."

Hermione found it best to shut up at this point, as she obviously had no clue about the game. She followed the game in silence instead, glancing sideways at Malfoy once in a while. He was quiet, but not as irate as he had been before she dragged him off to interrogate him. In fact, he seemed to be deep in thought, rather than directly miserable.

"What was that about anyway?" Ginny suddenly whispered in her ear and Hermione nearly jumped in her seat.

"Nothing much, really," she muttered almost soundlessly back. "I just got fed up with the attitude."

"What did you say to him, though? I mean, he's nowhere near as foul as he was earlier."

Hermione grinned, shaking her head.

"It's a long story," she whispered.

Plus, it was hardly her story to tell at any rate.

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**A/N:**

I love, love, love all of your reviews! ♥

The next chapter is the last one :) I'm sorry it's not longer, but as said it was for a 20k word fic challenge, so I didn't personally have time to expand any more on it. And I feels like the story ends in a natural place anyway XD


	8. Part 8

**disclaimer: **All characters are property of JK Rowling (all hail!)

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**Part 8**

Ginny left over the weekend and Hermione returned to long, exhausting days at work. Before heading off again, Ginny had been at The Burrow for the family dinner on Sunday, but Hermione had politely declined. She felt that the Weasleys needed time to themselves and she also hoped Ginny would find more time to speak to Ron to make him see reason. That would undoubtedly be easier without her around.

Now, Ginny was back to travelling the world, but had revealed that she felt like she had accomplished what she wanted. She was only travelling to a few more destinations on her plan and then she was heading back home to start her life again. Things seemed to be coming together for Ginny, and oddly enough Hermione felt some of the pieces of her own life beginning to fit together again.

She was working late on Monday, picking up some of the things she had left lying around the past week. It was important work in relation to the upcoming law on elfish welfare, an accomplishment she could hardly believe she was so close to achieving. She was signing a stack of parchment when the door to her office burst open with a crash.

Looking up in shock to find out who were practically forcing themselves into her office, her jaw dropped in disbelief. Right in front of her desk stood Ron holding Harry by the robe.

"This is an intervention!" Ron announced loudly, his voice sounding panicked.

Hermione's mouth opened and closed, her mind struggling to catch up with the turn of events.

"Oh...okay?" she said in a questioning tone, putting her quill down.

She sat back in her chair and looked at her two best friends in confusion. Harry looked equally confused, so she had a feeling he had no idea what this was about either.

"I... I know I haven't been there for you as much as I should lately," Ron said, his hand gripping tighter around the sleeve of Harry's robe. "But Malfoy is _not_ the answer."

Hermione's eyebrows inched upwards into a disbelieving expression.

"Harry, tell her," he commanded.

"Uhm, well..." Harry stuttered. "Malfoy's not that bad."

Ron stared at him for a second and then heaved an enormous sigh.

"I forgot I was talking to the King of all Slytherin lovers," he muttered, turning back to Hermione. "I'm serious, Hermione. He's not good for you."

"What on earth are you _on_ about?" she asked, severely confused.

There was no way Ron could possibly know about the incident on the balcony, but what else could he be talking about?

"Ginny told me that you're practically together already," he said, grimacing.

Hermione had to hide a smile very quickly. Oh, the girl was a _genius_. Of course Ron would run straight to Harry if anything of the sort was to happen.

"Well. Are you?"

"No, we're not," Hermione answered with a roll of her eyes. "But even if we were, it's not your place to decide for me."

"Ginny told me you two headed off alone at the Quidditch match and were gone for ages," he accused.

Hermione turned to Harry to exchange exasperated looks, but found Harry trying to disguise a smirk and failing horribly. She stared at him, his mischievous smirk adding another piece to the puzzle. Narrowing her eyes at him, she stared until he noticed and his cheeks flamed red.

"You've been setting us up, haven't you?" she asked loudly.

She knew he had kept something from her. Of course Harry and Astoria had tried to set them up, what other reasons would they have to drag the both of them to a number of Muggle locations where they needed no help to keep their relationship a secret. She didn't know if she was angry or just exasperated, but it still hurt that he had kept these things from her.

Ron looked at the two of them in turn, a blank expression on his face.

"Well, not as _such_," Harry answered slowly. "We've tried to push you in the right direction, as long as we still had you both there anyway. You needed to get over Ron and he needed to get over Astoria."

She looked at him and shook her head. The worst part was that he had been right. She did need to get over Ron, and in the process she _had_ gotten over him—whether it was due to Malfoy or not.

"Wait, you've set her up with Malfoy?" Ron cried before Hermione could retort. "Are you insane?"

"When are you going to give it a rest, Ron?" Harry asked, shaking his hand free from Ron's grip. "The war is over; many people are trying to turn their lives around and why is it so hard to give them a chance?"

Ron gritted his teeth and stared at Harry, his cheeks flaming red.

"You chose someone else over my sister and my family," he accused, his jaw clenching.

"You know what your family means to me and I don't know why you pretend you don't," Harry said, the volume of his voice rising a bit, "but I couldn't stay with Ginny when she's not the right girl for me. Much like you can't stay with Hermione when she's not right for you."

"Ron, don't you see how well Ginny's doing?" Hermione interrupted, leaning forwards to rest her elbows on her desk. "She's living her own life and she too says that she's over the relationship. If she can put it behind her, you must be able to as well."

Ron just looked between the two of them and then all of a sudden his shoulders fell and his gaze fell to the floor.

"Yeah, I see that Ginny's doing well," he muttered so quietly that they barely heard him.

But they both did and they exchanged a quick look.

"I just... I don't know how you two can forgive so easily," he admitted in a quiet voice. "I don't know how."

"We'll help," Harry said, meeting Hermione's gaze.

[---]

It was almost surreal spending time with Harry and Ron at the same time again. She had become so used to seeing them separately that she almost didn't know what to say when they were gathered together. However, things were getting back to normal again among the three of them.

The only thing that bothered her was that Astoria had told her parents, which meant that Malfoy had stopped meeting them. She knew it worried Astoria that he had cut off almost all contact immediately, but she felt herself worrying about it as well. Now that he was no longer needed to keep up the pretence, he had vanished off the face of the earth.

She found her thoughts straying to him much too often, wondering what he was doing, if he was indeed starting over or if he was keeping to the same life he seemed to be stuck in. But most of all she couldn't stop thinking about them together. His kiss, her heart beating, his smile, her pulse racing and his voice whispered into her ear. Every time she thought about him, her reactions followed quickly. It was getting horribly distracting as she was trying to follow a conversation, focus on work or sleep. She was thinking of him yet again as she headed up Diagon Alley, running some errands that she had been putting off for what seemed like forever. Once again, the reactions were overwhelming.

She tried desperately to focus on her trivial errands and she had finally restored her stock of headache potions and other remedies, as well as bought a new work robe as her old one had gotten some kind of ink over it that just wouldn't go away. The last thing she had to do was go stock up on the special quills she used for office work.

Perusing Flourish and Blott's, she found a number of quills, but not the ones she was looking for. She stepped up to the counter, looking at the quills on display. The clerk informed her that they were sadly out of them at the moment and Hermione sighed, but thanked for the help and left the store.

Standing in the middle of Diagon Alley, a sudden thought gripped her. She needed the quills first thing tomorrow morning and she needed to see him. Everything in her screamed that she needed to talk to him right now. She hastened into the nearest shop that she knew had a Floo and paid a few Sickles to borrow it, giving the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade as her location.

She nearly ran out of the Three Broomsticks to not be held up by anyone she might know and headed down the familiar street to find the store she had spent plenty of time in during her years at school. Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop looked exactly like she remembered and she stopped outside to let nostalgia wash over her for a moment.

A bell on the door tinkled merrily when she opened the door and slipped inside, looking around in anticipation. No one was around and she wondered briefly if he might not be working today. She didn't know what his schedule looked like and he might as well not be there at all. Her fears were calmed as he came out of a room out back with a stack of self-correcting quills in his hands. Her heart leapt.

He didn't notice her as he dumped the quills on the counter and bent down to find one of the appropriate boxes.

"Hi," she said, sounding a bit breathless.

He looked up in surprise and immediately straightened up when he saw her.

"How can I help you?" he asked, his voice laced with professionalism.

"I'm looking for a special brand of self-inking quills."

He got out from behind the counter and walked past her before heading in between two aisles.

"Follow me," he urged and she followed mechanically.

It was strange seeing him again. She hadn't seen him at all since the Quidditch match, and now he was pretending she was nothing but a regular customer.

"How have you been?" she asked, breaking the act of pretending to be strangers.

"Oh, I've been perfectly okay," he answered, not giving away a thing with the expression on his face.

She gritted her teeth and glared at him as she followed him towards the end of the aisle. This was not what she had envisioned when she desperately needed to see him again.

"These are all our self-inking quills. If we have the brand you're looking for, it should be here."

She didn't look at the self-inking quills at all. Instead she stared at him, trying to find any signs of how he was holding up.

"Would you stop pretending you don't know me?" she asked a bit indignantly. "I'm just wondering how you're doing, that's all. None of us have seen you for ages."

"You have Ron back, anyway," he noted with a shrug. "Why does it matter how I am?"

She stared at him and blinked several times in shock. Was that why he hadn't made himself known for ages?

"What are you on?" she asked incredulously. "Harry and Ron are speaking again, yes, which means I can converse with both of them at the same time. Why does that automatically make it impossible for me to wonder how you're doing?"

He didn't answer. Instead he turned to the quills and picked one at random.

"Is this the one you're looking for?"

"No, it isn't," she said impatiently after giving it a quick look. "I don't know why you won't just tell me what you're up to."

He gritted his teeth and stared down at her, his cheeks colouring with anger. She bit her lip and tried to forget how close they were standing.

"I'm not doing a bloody thing," he growled, pushing the box with the quills back in place. "I work and I go home. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

She looked at him sadly, suddenly not knowing what to do with her hands.

"No," she admitted, picking at her robe. "It's not what I wanted to hear. Why did you stop coming with us whenever we meet up?"

"Oh, please." He turned towards the shelf, grabbing another box of quills. "I was there because they needed me for cover. We all know the best thing for me was to back off now."

"Do we?" she asked, shaking her head at the box he was holding out. "I don't think it was the best thing. Astoria is really worried about you and Harry always asks if anyone has heard anything from you. Why do you try to make it seem like you're so bloody unimportant?"

Not to mention that she couldn't get him out of her head.

"You guys have Ron now," he said again, picking yet another box from the shelves.

"So?" Hermione asked in bewilderment. "We have Ron, so we can't have you? The two of you are completely different, why would Ron's presence make up for you not being there?"

"I...He's...Would you just find your bloody quills?"

He refused to meet her gaze. Crossing his arms over his chest almost protectively he stood in place, waiting for her to move. Shaking her head at his ridiculous behaviour, she leaned in past him and grabbed the right brand of quills off the shelves. The movement moved her closer to him and when she straightened up with the box of quills in her hand, she was standing so close she had to look up into his face. She was surprised he couldn't hear her heart racing.

He was breathing heavily still, refusing to meet her gaze. It was beyond her how he could be so stubborn and not believe that she actually wanted to have him around, but she supposed it wasn't easy for him to give up on the future he had planned with Astoria, even if it had been more for tradition's sake than anything else.

Giving a tiny smile, she pushed herself up on her toes and pressed her lips against his. He stood completely still as she kissed him softly, both of her hands clutching the box of quills. His hands finally fell from his chest and she felt his lips respond hesitantly to her kiss. His touch was just as warm as she remembered and she had to suppress a shudder of pleasure. She had thought of this moment and envisioned it so many times that it seemed almost unreal now. Before she could let herself get carried away, she broke the kiss.

Digging into her pocket, she pushed two Galleons into his hand.

"Goodbye, Draco," she said and turned on her heel, following the long aisle back where they came from.

She felt a distinct emptiness when she closed the door to Scrivenshaft's behind her and began walking back towards the Three Broomsticks to catch the Floo back to Diagon Alley. It was hard to describe what it was about Draco Malfoy, but she was quite certain she had never felt anything quite like it before. She sniffled slightly in the cold air and pulled her robes tighter around herself. If he didn't want to believe she wanted him there, there wasn't anything she could do.

"Wait!"

She stopped in her tracks, but didn't turn around at the sound of his voice. A few moments passed before she felt his hand at her shoulder. Allowing herself to be turned around, she came face to face with him once again. His warm hands were suddenly at her cheeks, cupping her face in his palms. He bent down and his warm lips covered hers in a soft kiss. She watched him with large eyes when he broke away.

His hair fell into his eyes and he looked suddenly awkward. The hands cupping her cheeks fell to his side and he just stood there, looking at her with such a nervous gaze that she wanted nothing more than to pull him into a hug. .

"Will you start over with me?" he asked quietly.

A beaming smile spread across her face and that feeling she would never know how to describe seemed to rush through every vein in her body.

"I'd like that."

_The End_

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**A/N:** And that's the last chapter, guys!

Thanks for the reviews, the favourites and your time.

Hopefully, I'll be back sooner rather than later this time. XD


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